|
In Chile |
||
Chile elected its new president in 1999, but in October 2000, there were elections for mayors and councilmembers in
many communities of the country. Mónica worked on the reelection campaign for the mayor of Recoleta, Ernesto
Moreno. Recoleta is one of the many communities that make up the city of Santiago. In Chile, men and women have separate polling places so that there can be no undue pressure on any voter from a spouse. Each vote is hand marked and folded along lines prefolded by poll workers. They are sealed and placed in the box. After the polls close, the workers handcount the ballots under the watchful eyes of party representatives. Much of this counting was televised for the presidential election last year. Chileans know that their votes really count. Once a citizen has registered to vote, he or she is obligated to vote in all elections. |
Right before the election, she took us to the campaign headquarters to show us what had been keeping her so busy. Among her other activities, she had taken pictures of campaign events. These photos were displayed on the walls of the headquarters along with pictures of past campaigns in which she had also participated. She was an active worker in his previous two campaigns. This year, alas, he did not win.
Mónica worked at one of the women's polling tables in Recoleta. All the poll workers must stay until the votes are all counted. There is a different color ballot for each race. This one was easy since there was only one race. Unlike in some countries, the same method is used throughout the country, and the results are known quickly. |
|
|
The US Presidential Election We weren't totally isolated from the US Presidential Election here in Chile, although we did enjoy missing the relentless television commercials. The American Chamber of Commerce and the Ambassador hosted a gala election night party at the Marriott Hotel so the participants could gather to see how the election turned out. More than a month later, we are still waiting to see how the election turned out, but that is another story. The security measures at the party were quite interesting. Men with mirrors on poles checked the undersides of cars entering the underground parking at the hotel, and we had to pass through metal detectors to get into the rooms where the party was held. |
|
 |
|
| I was sorry that Artie had to miss the party because of a business trip, since he would have especially enjoyed
the musical entertainment. It was Appalachian music from North Carolina, featuring David Holt, a banjo player of
some renown. You can see by the decor that the the party was very American. The food was also quite American, with hot dogs, hamburgers, chips and salsa, and even American popcorn. In Chile, popcorn isn´t salted or buttered. It is sweetened, similar to Cracker Jack but without the peanuts or prizes. |
|
 |
Both Artie and I had received invitations to the party, and we each could have brought a guest. I came with Mónica, who was interested in seeing more about an election, since she has been working on political campaigns for years. She actually knew more people there than I did! Not only were quite a few of her students there, but also Chileans in politics. |
| Our dentist, Antonio Yazigi, was among the guests. Mónica recommended him to us when we were looking for a new dentist. We are very pleased with him, and we find it easier with him, since he speaks English fluently. He has been married to an American for more than 30 years, and he has done quite a bit of his training in the United States. He is also a private pilot and was a 3 time member of the Chilean Olympic shooting team. |  |
