POLITICS-ARGENTINA: Voters Unmoved, but Democracy Solid

By Marcela Valente Reprint | | Print |

Marcela Valente

BUENOS AIRES, Oct 20 1999 (IPS) - The campaign for next Sunday’s elections in Argentina has been characterised by huge sums of money poured into publicity – and vast boredom among voters.

A few analysts consider the widespread indifference dangerous, pointing out that such a lack of interest is understood in young democracies as a sign of a lack of confidence and trust in the system’s ability to resolve society’s problems.

However, most pollsters and observers concur that in this case, the apathy is a sign of the political maturity of Argentinians.

British reporter James Nielson, former director of the English language daily Buenos Aires Herald, wrote in a column published in the latest edition of the weekly magazine ‘Noticias’ that “far from being a symptom of decadence, the lack of passion seen until now could be considered a sign of good health.”

The latest polls put Fernando de la Rúa, the candidate of the opposition Alliance made up of the centrist Radical Civic Union and centre-left ‘Frente País Solidario’ (Frepaso), far in the lead to succeed Carlos Menem, whose second consecutive term ends in December.

The efforts of Eduardo Duhalde, who is running for the governing ‘Justicialista’ (Peronist) party, to close the gap between his 30 percent approval ratings and De la Rúa’s 45 percent, appear to be in vain.

Sociologist Luis Quevedo, with the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences, pointed out in an article published in Monday’s edition of the daily ‘Clarín’ that politicians had failed to spark the people’s interest, despite more than 200 million dollars poured into publicity.

Since this Southern Cone country returned to democracy in 1983, after seven years of a brutal dictatorship, political rallies and mass meetings have gradually lost their pull.

Today, candidates actually track people down to explain their proposals, or tempt them with money and other goodies to attend rallies.

In the campaign for the Oct 24 elections, the parties have resorted much more than in the past to political motorcades of honking cars driven with flying banners and waving placards through towns and cities, rather than mass meetings in the streets or stadiums.

Other tactics have included recorded telephone messages to voters, and the distribution of compact discs containing the candidates’ campaign pledges.

The Alliance basically opted for motorcades and personal contact between leaders and voters, including surprise door-to- door visits to those who had previously expressed interest.

On these visits “I speak when they let me,” admitted De la Rúa, a presidential candidate whose laconic style worked in his favour, due to the contrast with Menem’s flamboyance.

“I am the candidate, but people like to express their views, and in the end I listen more than I am able to talk,” De la Rúa told the press.

A survey conducted by the polling firm Mora y Araujo found that 80 percent of respondents were “not at all” interested in political rallies, and 73 percent were not interested in publicity spots.

But 57 percent did express an interest in political debates, an option ruled out by the candidates.

A survey carried out by the polling firm Equis, headed by sociologist Artemio López, found that a mere 7.5 percent of those interviewed in cities were enthusiastic enough to actively participate in party politics.

Meanwhile, 90.8 percent said they were thoroughly bored by the publicity campaign of the candidate they planned to vote for, 88 percent refused to wear t-shirts or other clothing sporting the candidate’s name, 80 percent declined to explain their candidate’s platform, and 78 percent said they did not attend political events.

Greater enthusiasm was found in cities and towns of less than 100,000 residents. The pollsters said that difference was possibly a result of the more direct contact between leaders and their constituents in smaller urban settings.

Another aspect pointed out by analysts was the possibility of an increase in the number of blank ballots cast, as well as a drop in voter turnout Sunday.

Voter turnout has been declining since the mid-1980s. In the elections of 1983, when Argentina was caught up in the euphoria of the restoration of democracy, just 14 percent of voters stayed away from the polls, while two percent of the ballots cast were blank.

In 1997, the proportions rose to 22 and five percent, respectively, and are expected to increase even more this year.

A new movement opposed to the mandatory vote has even cropped up. Group 501, which has no visible leaders, expresses its ideas on the Internet, urging voters to travel over 500 kilometres from their registered voting sites – one of the ways to avoid the sanctions stipulated for those who fail to turn out for elections.

Political analyst and TV journalist Mariano Grondona warned that the new movement and the generalised lack of interest should not be ignored, as they were based on the widespread “scepticism and discontent” seen in Argentina today.

Grondona does not believes the low level of participation in politics is similar to the phenomenon seen in countries of the industrialised North, as some suggest.

Other observers, however, say the level of participation is not so low, in comparative terms.

Rosendo Fraga, with the Nueva Mayoría research centre, said nearly 80 percent of registered voters were expected to cast their ballots next Sunday, a percentage he considered high, given that many Argentinians were excused from voting for a variety of reasons.

“What is occurring is that to the extent that democracy is consolidated, election day is no longer experienced as a dramatic moment, but has become somewhat routine,” said Fraga.

Sociologist Marita Carballo with Gallup Argentina said Argentinians were “a bit distanced from politics” and were “seriously questioning the functioning of the institutions” of government.

“They feel they are not represented by the parties,” she commented.

However, there is no risk of anti-democratic experiences, as “nine out of 10 respondents say democracy is the best possible system,” she stressed.

“What is happening is that in the present elections, people do not feel the passion of an event that will change their lives,” Carballo added.

The polling firm Mora y Araujo concurred, pointing out that the deteriorated image of state institutions was merely the product of their current functioning.

Several opinion polls found that 80 percent of respondents held a negative view of Congress and the political parties – which represents a big challenge for whoever wins Sunday’s elections and succeeds Menem, as the only fourth consecutive democratically elected president in the history of Argentina.