All is Fair in Love and Politics

Party song blasts from the tower of speakers

Two days until the presidential election in the Dominica Republic. Will it be Purple or White for the next four years? Hipolito "llegó Papa!" or Danilo and his female running mate? International election observers are here, ballots deemed fair, the count to begin Sunday night. But did you know that party members are making the rounds, paying people to go and vote! A question comes to mind which I try to ask my Dominican friends without causing offence....

"Hypothetically speaking, if one party gives you money to vote, but you take the money and vote for someone else, what happens?"

"Oh, lots of people do that!"

Whew! What a relief. Democracy still lives.

Two days ago the purple party paved the street in front of my house with alphalt and yesterday a purple parade came swinging through.  Men and women on foot, on motorcycles, hanging out of the windows of SUVs and in the back of pick-up trucks. The party song blasted at the decibel of a jet plane, merengue, of course. But the White Party is coming tomorrow and I've been told it will be even MAS GRANDE. "What does Chispa think of all of this?" you might ask.