>Last Sunday (a week ago) we had national elections here in Bolivia. I found the following points about this election quite interesting: > >
Voters could choose among 11 different policital parties, and presidential candidates. >
The popularity of one of the candidates rose sharply because of careless words spoken by the ambassador of the United States. Basically, the ambassador said: "Don't vote for this man". As a result, many people voted for him, out of protest, or nationalistic feelings. In the meantime, another party speeks of a conspiracy - IOW, they claim the counterproductive recommendation, by the ambassador, was not careless, but on purpose. >
People here have take "mud-slinging" very seriously - many large posters, portraying candidates for president, vice-president, and congress (of different political parties) were defaced with mud, paint, and things of the sort. > >Hilmar.