Peru's Presidential Elections as seen by the young people
On April 11th, Presidential Elections took place in Peru. Last week, we talked to David, one of the young participants of the Scholarships Programme, who not only voted for the first time this year, but was also chosen at random as the President of his polling station for his community. “I didn’t know I was going to be selected,” he told us. “Out of curiosity, I visited the ONPE website (Peru’s official electoral organisation) and my name appeared as president. And I thought to myself, how will I do this if I have no experience? But I was still eager to take on the responsibility.”
David attended two training sessions from the ONPE staff as part of his preparation for his duties as President. Election day was long, given that the voting window was extended to avoid large gatherings and queues in the midst of the pandemic. “I was there from 5:30 am to 1:00 am the following day,” David said while laughing.
One of the greatest challenges of Presidential Elections in Peru is disinformation. “In our community (Ccorimarca) only one political party showed up,” Elizabeth, a young member of the Scholarships Programme, shared with us. “I told my parents about the candidates who I thought were suitable for Congress and the Andean Parliament too.” People who live in rural areas still did everything they could to vote and avoid the fine for not doing so. “The system doesn’t prioritise those who live in rural areas. They sometimes have to walk through landslides in order to reach their polling stations.”
Every 5 years, the elections bring Peruvians to a profound reflection on the urgent improvements that should take place in our country. Elizabeth and David both agreed that the upcoming Government should focus on improving Peru’s education: “There are teachers who haven’t received a proper education. And also, access to internet could be improved in rural areas. I have terrible internet here. If the antenna is struck by lightning, we run out of power,” Elizabeth told us.
ELECTION DAY, IN IMAGES
The participants of the Meet My World Project had the assignment of photographically documenting what they saw on April 11th.
This was Cesar John’s (Meet My World participant) first presidential election. “There was so much chaos at the plaza that day. People didn’t keep their distance,” he told us. Cesar John has also been following the journey of the two final candidates who will participate in the second and final round of the election process on June 6th. The candidate’s most recent debate took place in Chota, Cajamarca, and Cesar John commented that spectators had again gathered with no social distancing. This led him to question whether the right security measures are in place at these events and what dangerous consequences this could bring to the health sector in these areas.
Through Meet My World, the young people will continue reflecting on the development of the elections in Peru. These photographs have become an invitation to discuss and analyse Peru’s reality whilst developing their critical eye and personal viewpoints.
From Amantani, we thank and are proud of the young people who have participated in these elections and have helped us raise awareness on the challenges of democracy in our country. Less than a month into the second round of the election with the 2 (two) final candidates, we reiterate our commitment to the education of future generations, to democracy and to the prioritisation of Human Rights for all Peruvians. We hope to continue working alongside individuals, communities, families and local institutions in benefit of the participants of our programmes and projects.