Luis Benavente: “There has been a significant increase in the number of non-attendance at regional and municipal elections”

Director Vox PopuliLuis Benavente noted that absenteeism in the 2022 regional and municipal elections has increased significantly compared to previous elections. Benavente stated that, although General Election – 2021 absenteeism was extensive due to the complications of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this situation has now decreased.

“The percentage of whites or zeros is a more or less constant percentage. It does not change much, because there are always undecided citizens, people who have no preference or are indifferent, etc. What has increased significantly is absenteeism, confirming what happened last year, when there were also many absenteeism in the presidential elections. The difference is that last year we were in the midst of a pandemic, you had to wear a mask. There were much more difficult voting conditions,” he told RPP News Extension.

In the same vein, he explained that absenteeism, especially in Lima, was concentrated in the higher socio-economic sectors.because they are not afraid of fines.

“In the case of Lima, this absenteeism occurs preferably in areas with a higher socio-economic level, where there is supposedly more education, more political culture (…). Because these are areas with higher purchasing power, the fine won’t mean much to them.. So let’s say that a fine is cheaper than having the time or desire to do what you would like to do. I think this might be the explanation. Another thing is that in these areas there has recently been a large migration abroad due to the political and economic situation in the country,” he added.

defeat of the left

Luis Benavente observed that Peru Libre, the party that led Pedro Castillo to President of the Republic, failed in the elections. However, this fact affects not only this political group, but all leftists.

“Peru Libre has a candidate in Lima who won 1.5% of the valid votes. The other left sector, represented by Alegria, gained 6.4%. Let’s say that both candidates got 8%. This is a pretty low percentage. , Together for Peru, Peru Libre, they are not seeking the mayor of the district, nor are they seeking the office of mayor or governor of the province, so they have a very poor result, perhaps as part of the pendulum movement that characterizes politics around the world and faced with the crisis and difficulties of the leftist Castillo government, there is a reaction of the populationwhat is happening all over the world,” he said.

However, it was not only the left that suffered, but also Fuerza Popular, a party that has lost its prominence since 2016.

“Another loser is Fuerza Popular., which in 2002 had very few candidates (no more than five), then in 2016 it received an absolute majority in Congress, which has now been reduced to a very small one. Not only did he fail to put forward his candidacy in Lima, he also failed to appoint mayors, governors, or provincial mayors. And recently he was the greatest hero of Peruvian electoral politics,” he added.

Finally, he noted that the result of the current election will not necessarily be reflected in the next presidential election.

“It will depend on the type of alliances being created because the regions continue to be dominated by regional movements whose ideological flag is mainly regionalism rather than ideological issues of right or left. And in the regions many times there is a vote, which turns into a populist popular connection. Districts of Peru, including the most rebellious south, at some point could vote for Kuchinsky or for Toledo, and also, of course, for Castillo and Humal. It has no ideological overtones,” he concluded.