Elections

Municipal elections are happening in October and the campaigns were underway even when we first arrived in Lima on the 1st of July. Lima Metropolitana is actually divided into many districts and each district seems to be semi-autonomous and they all have their own mayors.

Billboards are everywhere. I have to admit that I have been using the billboards as a navigation aid. When I see familiar faces on the billboards I know that I’m back in my Barranco neighbourhood.

The walls of highway overpasses, and sometimes even homes have become valuable advertising space. And last night I saw a bicycle crew pulling candidate posterboards cycle past.

Lawn sign equivalent?

Of all the billboards, this one has is definitely the winner.

Honesty from eyebrow to eyebrow….

Does the unibrow candidate featured bottom right get your vote?

Where I am working in San Juan de Miraflores, there are currently 14 candidates for mayor in the upcoming October elections. I’ve been told again and again that after elections everything changes if a new party wins. I’m told it is very common for the public servant staff to change after elections and winning candidates to reward the people that helped them during their campaign with government jobs. As the youth job centre where I’m working is housed in the municipality to whom the NGO is slowly trying to transfer the project, it is a big concern that the staff we’ve been working with will suddenly disappear after October and we’ll have to start over and build new relationships.

On another post-election note, street names also often change. Adding another element of navigational fun to getting around the city. At least on many street signs, they post both names so that you know what the street used to be called.

Ex. street names