Ollanta Humala (UPP) 30.857%
Alan García (Apra) 24.325%
Lourdes Flores (UN) 23.586%
Blank votes 11.998%
Gap between García and Flores: 83,818 votes.
Un millón y medio de blancos
Santiago Pedraglio
Peru 21, 16 de abril del 2006
Después de contabilizados por ONPE cerca de 90% de los votos emitidos el pasado 9 de abril, se constata que 11.88% de los electores (exactamente 1’553,494 peruanos, hasta ese momento del conteo oficial) optaron por votar en blanco en las presidenciales. Es decir, decidieron participar en el proceso y, a la vez, no entregarle su voto a candidato alguno. Este sector de peruanos representa la cuarta fuerza electoral, después de UPP, del Partido Aprista y Unidad Nacional.
Valdría la pena conocer en detalle los motivos de quienes votaron en blanco, porque, a diferencia de las personas que no votaron y de aquellas cuyo voto resultó anulado porque cometieron un error, los integrantes del ‘partido de los blancos’ escogieron. Es decir, hicieron una selección y optaron políticamente. Ninguno de los 19 candidatos presidenciales los convenció y probablemente ni siquiera se sienten representados por las opciones que compitieron.
Ingresando en el campo de la especulación, puede agregarse que, más que simbolizar un voto escondido de extrema izquierda o de ultraderecha, el voto en blanco expresa mejor que todas las otras propuestas políticas el hartazgo y la desilusión ante los partidos y el sistema político en general. Más aun: si se compara el voto blanco con el llamado voto ‘antisistema’ a favor de Ollanta Humala, el primero está más desapegado del juego político que el segundo. Para los del ‘partido blanco’, probablemente todos los candidatos son iguales.
En contra de esta hipótesis se puede afirmar que la falta de información política electoral alentó esta vez el voto en blanco. De igual modo, que luego de las campañas de denuncia contra Ollanta Humala algunos de sus simpatizantes se habrían desplazado raudamente hacia el limbo electoral. Sin embargo, difícilmente se puede sostener que estas dos motivaciones sean las más extendidas.
En todo caso, si se mira hacia atrás y se compara el porcentaje de votos en blanco alcanzado en este proceso electoral con el de otros anteriores (siempre en primera vuelta), se confirma que el de este proceso (11.88%) es el más alto: en el 2001 fue de aproximadamente 10%; en el 2000, de 5.9%; en 1995, de 9.2%; y en 1990, 7.9%.
Por otro lado, en algunos departamentos -y no solo del sur del país-, los votos en blanco en la elección de los parlamentarios superaron de lejos el promedio nacional presidencial. En el Cusco, departamento en el que ganó la UPP, el voto blanco es la segunda fuerza electoral, con aproximadamente 15%; y en Puno -donde también ganó la UPP- se repite esta segunda ubicación, con 14.6%. En Áncash, región en la que triunfó el Apra, votaron en blanco 15.4% de los electores. Dicho todo esto, además, sin considerar el numeroso voto nulo, a pesar de que ahí también puede haber votos que expresen estados de ánimo semejantes al expresado por el voto en blanco.
Si se trata de mirar la segunda vuelta, es evidente que, además de buscar el apoyo de ex candidatos presidenciales -y de los ciudadanos que escogerán al margen de lo que estos recomienden-, los contendores se empeñarán en conquistar al grupo de ‘partidarios’ del voto en blanco, que representan desde ya un alto porcentaje, y que, por lo demás, verán crecer desde que se dé la largada con las primeras encuestas de la próxima batalla electoral.
10 replies on “12:00 pm ONPE Presidential results at 90.742%”
16,000 votes to elimination for Flores.
In response to Javier’s prior question. What does it matter. Peru has a $170 billion economy according to the CIA factbook. For 500 years the european immigrants have taken her wealth and used it for themselves. The cumulative amount of resources Peru has exported surpasses trillions of dollars in 2006 dollars accounting for inflation. How much of that did any indigenous people get. How many memberships in regattas or beach houses an hour south of Lima or ventures to elite and secure nightclubs or restaurants like La Rosa Nautica or access to american shopping sprees in Miami or even Europe did that get the indigenous people.
And because of these imbalances, wealthy Peruvians such as professors at UBC come to the U.S. and take spots reserved for latinos of U.S. origin at our universities who have really suffered discrimination, not grown up going to regattas on weekends. So the imbalance ripples everywhere.
Don’t call it a pyrhic victory. It’s a huge victory just like Toledo’s was. If indigenous income goes from $2 a day to $3 a day that’s a 33% increase. And you can do that easily by raising taxes. It’s time a minimum quality of life is established in Peru and internal demands for that quality are met and economy to supply that demand is created. Ultimately it makes Peru a wealthier nation. If you don’t get that part of economics, then there is no help for you.
Max,
I would like to find out where does Humala has got economical support from. I understand he is being in the US while he was in the military and I am in my right to suspect he is playing a game with us.
History has taught us that it is not enough to take the poor to power to achieve success. That is a pirric victory with only the satisfaction of having power. That won’t feed the small farmer and in Peru, it has meant one sweet talker to the next becoming president: Alan, Fujimori, Toledo, now Humala. Same discourse for the poor equal afterwards disaster for all Peruvians
Hay un nuevo artículo de John Crabtree en Open Democracy:
http://www.opendemocracy.net/debates/article.jsp?id=3&debateId=33&articleId=3457
This is from the other Javier. I don’t know how many imposters are using my name, or if its just a coincidence. However, I would laugh at Max if I wasn’t crying. I don’t understand how anybody can think the country has been run by the euro-white elite. That assumption can only be thought from somebody who doesn’t live here, who hasn’t gone through our hell, whose knowledge comes from text books and commie university professors, and has no practical experience.
I’ve made this point before, but I don’t think Max gets it, so I’ll repeat. Every democratically elected president we have ever had has been elected by the poor because they catered to the poor vote by blaming everything on the white ones and making all the same promises that every other blame candidate has always made.
So now we’ll have 5 or more years of the same sh*t. I wish I can send my kids out of this god forsaken country to the EEUU where they can take the spot of some poor latino american at the university. Too bad I can’t afford it.
9,700 votes to elimination for Flores. Strangely, Humala is almost pulling even with Garcia in expatriate votes. He is even with him in the U.S. and beating him from countries like Bolivia and Venezuela (where there is a friendly media). In Chile and Argentina, Garcia is trouncing Humala.
Who here thinks that so many foreign voters will be sickened by Garcia and Humala that they will just not vote in the second round?
Max,
It is extremely naive to think that a farmer will be happy with increasing his earnings from 2 to 3 dollar. He/she still will be looking at those who have too much compared to them. Unless someone would like to blindfold them.
Pyrrhic victory still, like it was with Alan, Fujimori and Toledo. The euphoria usually last for a few months, and then reality check.
Max’s discourse can make him President of Peru. That “500 years…so and so” is actually what gains the favor of those who unfortunately don’t have access to information, which is linked to poverty.
Th only winners will be Humala and Company, not our farmers and miners. I hope someone with a clean career and authentic feelings for Peru and Peruvians get organized from now and aims at 2011.
Chaos only favor the unknown forces
You know, don’t blame the rich of Peru for the misery of the poor. The Peruvians who can afford a country club membership most likely reached that level of life style through very hard work. There is a mindset of wanting to punish successful people when in reality successful people need to honored and their paths to sucess highlighted and emulated.
I live in a very rural pueblo in the department of Puno and understand why these people are poor. There are no jobs! There is no industry, there are no factories, there is no investment etc… They only plant potatoes and make pennies a day. This reality is not the fault of the rich but more the result of geography.
I’m not even sure any government can do anything about this reality. No one is going to put a big factory in the middle of the altiplano so there will continue to be a wide disparity between the rich and the poor in Peru.
Don’t punish the successful or the rich and try to bring them down, instead, focus on finding solutions to lift the poor out of their situation.
Well said.
I remember a macroeconomics class in which it was explained that the difference between the lack of development in Peru vs others, let’s say Argentina or Brazil (this was 10 years ago) coould be xplained because of the irregular geography. The country that would have plenty of plains (USA midwest) would have an agriculture industry that would be much efficiecnt, as technology would have a hard time to work in the Andes.
Nowadays, things are different and everyone talks about outsourcing, agriculture is no longer what drives major economies. Peru has its mining industry that is unfortunately not well exploited as there are competing interest and personal ambitions. The fish industry went to the bottom because of several incompetent people placed on charge.
Things are not going to be easy to anyone, and just arguirn about promises and the ‘500 years….’ of oppression won’t feed the Andean.
Well Javier, it seems you have enough to eat and write. Peru is the biggest exporter of asparagus to the U.S.. So I’m not sure what you mean by agriculture doesn’t drive economies. You are welcome to stop exporting asparagus so american farmers can get back to growing it. By the way, those guys running the fish industry and most of the bureaucrats are of european descent, right?
Mr. Cameron,
some of my postings have not gone up. If I have crossed the line, I apologize. Please however, place a kick back in the system so if my comments go over the top I can edit them and repost them.
Thank you
Sorry, Victor. We’re just a bit slow today. You’re comments are always welcome! — Max