Cuenca, Ecuador – Local Political Campaigns

Diane: Local elections will be held this Sunday, and the campaigning has revved up considerably. Trucks with megaphones ride up and down the streets blaring their advertisements and slogans and waving colorful flags. People hang flags and banners as well as painting murals of their favorite candidates. It is colorful and loud.





At first I thought this was a quaint, rather old-fashioned way to run a campaign. As it turns out, most campaigning used to take place via television. But several years back, a wealthy candidate bought so much TV time that new laws were passed. There are now limits on how much a candidate can spend on television advertising and various campaign activities. Since it is quite hard to keep tabs on the costs associated with vehicles and their megaphones, it has become a popular political tool.

In some of the rural areas, there are large gatherings of indigenous people supporting particular political candidates. This is even more colorful.







In Cuenca, as I understand it, after Wednesday, the campaigns must take a rest. Let the people consider the choices before the final vote. No more blaring megaphones and honking horns. I’ll believe it, when I don’t hear it..

Additionally, there are blue laws associated with voting. For three days prior to the elections no alcoholic beverages may be sold or served. As I understand it, if you are caught within the three day period, they may jail you, and then you even can’t vote because you are in jail.

And not voting is a big problem. Voting is mandatory in Ecuador. If you don’t vote, you don’t get a certificate, without which you can’t leave the country, get married, get a driver’s license, etc. You can then buy the certificate, but it is pricey. Last year it cost about $8, but this year it was raised to $140.