politics

There’s a lot politically going on in Uruguay right now. The senatorial and presidential elections are both coming up at the end of October and everybody is campaigning very aggressively. There are people all over the streets handing out literature; flags and signs hang everywhere and there are even people who ride around on bikes with political messages ringing out of speakers they’ve attached to their handlebars.

Uruguay has a multi-party system with two mains – Colorado and Nacional. There’s also the independent, the socialist and a whole slew of others. Each party also corresponds with a number – 2004, 2001, 71, etc. and no one I’ve asked was able to explain the origin of the association.

It’s mandatory for Uruguayan citizens to vote, which at first I was not in favor of. What about people who don’t know/care? But, there is an option to vote “blanco,” which is exactly like it sounds, blank. I’m not exactly sure of the reasons behind the obligatory voting system, but there are severe penalties for not participating. And they do keep track.

On television, the commercial breaks are about 15 minutes long and 90% of the ads are of a political nature. One commercial really struck me because a woman looked straight into the camera and said “Soy una socialista,” a statement that would never fly in the states. The other commercials are usually about futbol, and say something like “Don’t worry Uruguay, Ecuador will not be able to bring it.”