As I have mentioned before on the blog, Argentines love to talk politics, and the political tension continues to grow as many disagree with President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s policies (mainly economic and foreign). People in Buenos Aires frequently rally against the current populist government’s recent policies such as heavily restricted imports, and ban on the legal purchase of American Dollars in Argentina, that when coupled with a 15% tax on credit card purchases outside of Argentina makes traveling abroad extremely difficult for the average Argentine.
More recent tension and political chatter has centered around a bill passed yesterday that will allow 16 and 17 year olds to vote. Voting is mandatory for Argentine citizens aged between 18 and 70, however voting will be optional for 16 and 17 year olds. Many disagreed with this decision, saying that 16 and 17 year olds were not mature enough to vote, that it doesn’t make sense to allow exceptions to the everyone-must-vote rule, and that Cristina is only implementing this law to expand her voting base (apparently young people seem to favor her). Others look to other Latin American countries like Brazil and Nicaragua as examples of other nations that have allowed 16 and 17 year olds to vote, which many view as unorthodox.
Whether or not you agree with the vote for these high schoolers, I can only see frustration and political tension continue to rise as Cristina will seek to gain enough seats for her “Victory Front” party in next year’s midterm elections to enable her to change the constitution, allowing her to run for a third 4-year term in 2015.
-Giordano