Elections

So it turned out that all of the guys tryng to run for reelection lost out. Our new mayor of Tacna was symbolized by a little drop of water (but all dressed up as superman). Ironically, since Sunday, water has been cut up in the center. Everyone claims its the ousted mayor´s revenge, which is funny and possibly true. It seems like democracy worked out quite well for the most part, as there is little discussion of any disenfranchisement or issues here with the voting. The lines were very long and slow, but if that is the worst there is, then one cannot complain too much, right?

It was actually a really exciting experience to be with some Peruvians as the polls closed at 4 pm. The radio kept playing dramatic sound effects and throbbing the word ¨flash¨ over and over again. They did that for about 45 minutes with lots of filler talk before finally anouncing the results. I don´t know if the results mean any particularly drastic in terms of changes for Tacna, but one of the neat developments on a national scale is that a woman won the mayor race in Lima, and she is the first female mayor in Peruvian history. I will miss some of the loud music, parades and general excitement a bit, but I hope the fact that Fidel Carita won here in Tacna means that we will still get to see the gotita (little water drop), all over the place.