Argentina Bids Farewell To The Kirchnerista Movement And Welcomes Change In Macri

The Kirchnerist/Peronist era came to an end on November 22, 2015, when Argentinians voted for Mauricio Macri, the candidate representing the Republican Proposal (Propuesta Republicana) and the Cambiemos ("Let’s Change") movement.

Back in October, there was an election to narrow down the presidential candidates to just two. As I mentioned in a previous post, the voting system here is fairly straightforward.

The first step is to sign in at your assigned table, where you’ll be given an envelope. You’ll use it to enclose the pamphlet of the candidate you’ve chosen.

You receive a sheet of paper with the candidate’s photo and name, along with the names of all the officials running under that party. In other words, one vote counts for all the offices represented by that party. Once selected, the ballot is sealed in the envelope and placed in a box at the edge of the table.

The final presidential race came down to Daniel Scioli, who represented the same party as then-President Cristina Kirchner, and Mauricio Macri, who stood for a very different political ideology. The people spoke, and Scioli lost.

Interestingly, Cristina Kirchner has stated that she plans to run for president again in 2019. If she wins, it would be her third term—something I find ironic, considering that in the U.S., presidents are limited to two terms.

I’m not going to get into a debate about who’s better or worse, because honestly, I don’t know. What I do know is that when Macri takes office on December 10th, things will change. Whether those changes are for better or worse remains to be seen. Some of his proposals seem promising—like reopening Argentina to international trade—but research also links him to the financial crisis that hit Argentina in 2001–2002. So… am I a little worried? Yes.

There were also allegations of voter fraud—similar to the Bush and  the Gore controversy in the U.S.—but a recount on November 30th confirmed that Macri had indeed won.

In Argentina, voting is mandatory. But having dual citizenship gave me the privilege of adding my voice to the millions hoping for a better future here.

Now, with the Argentine elections behind me, it’s time to focus on the 2016 elections back home in the U.S. Since I’m thousands of miles away and can’t afford a trip back, I’ll be submitting an absentee ballot.

So how do I do that?

I went to this site:
www.votefromabroad.org

The process was super easy. I just had to enter the last U.S. address I lived at, my Social Security number, and answer a few general questions—like whether I wanted to vote in all state elections or just the major ones, such as the presidential race. After that, I printed out the form, signed it, and mailed it to my voting district back home.

Since international mail from Argentina isn’t very reliable, I have no way of knowing if my voter registration application will actually arrive. But I’m not the kind of person to leave things to chance, so I’ll likely find another expat heading back to the U.S. and ask them to mail it for me through the U.S. postal service. Then it’s just a matter of receiving my ballot when the time comes—and hoping it actually reaches me—so I can vote.

Some people back in the States—and even a few expats here in Argentina—have told me they don’t vote because they simply don’t care. I’ll end this post by saying: voting for change in one country is a powerful thing. But having the chance to vote in two countries isn’t just a right or a privilege—it’s an honor. It’s just sad that some people choose to throw that right away.