You may remember I mentioned the advertising spree by numerous honourable and competent politicians. Well the time has finally arrived for the elections to take place. As a non-Peruvian this would have normally meant a boring wait for 5 family members to vote at 3 different polling stations, but I decided to make the best of it and take photos.

Ley Seca
In the days leading up to polling day, “Dry Law” comes into effect. Since last Friday it has been illegal for any bar, restaurant or shop to sell any form of alcohol. Despite this always being the case for each and every election period, it often takes Peruvians by surprise. Those who remember about it stock up with more alcohol than they would otherwise have drank that weekend and have more alcohol in the blood for election day than any normal day. Such is the Peruvian will to disobey each and every law made, you can see the extremes some shops have to go to keep people from trying to buy alcoholic drinks. The two photos in the Plaza Vea supermarket show drinks cabinets wrapped in thick plastic to stop people prying open the doors and a spirits aisle completely blocked off.

Polling Stations
People vote in the area in which they received their DNI identity card, not where the closest is to where they may now live. This causes the most unbelievable amounts of traffic on the roads on what would normally be a quiet Sunday. Considering Limeño traffic is insane as it is, this is quite a statement. Some unfortunate people have to travel to other parts of the country to vote in the correct polling station. In the weekend of the elections there are mass exoduses. Technically, there is no choice about whether to make the journey or not – voting in mandatory here. If you don’t vote, you pay a fine.

We dropped Annett, her mother and grandmother off at one school-turned-polling station while Annett’s father, sister and her daughter, accompanied by me, went off to another. Annett’s retired Air Force commander father had a word with the police and Airmen that guarded the gate at the school to let me in. Annett’s sister voted, and had purple dye on her finger to prove it, and off we went to collect the others and go to the third and final polling station for Annett’s father.

Tags: elections, ley seca