A different Easter in Cochabamba

     Here we are on April 4 2010 in Cochabamba. Twill be a different Easter this year. NO church for sure as today is departmental / local election day throughout Bolivia. Elections are always on Sundays as in most of the world. And in Bolivia, ALL public transport & vehicular circulation is shut down to avoid vote fraud. Thus there will be only the most limited church services of local congregations. Our observation of previous elections is that most suspend services on election day.
    These are the first departmental (think "state") and local elections since the new constitution and new congress have been put in place. One of the changes is that resident aliens (think "Bootmans") are allowed to vote. Or should I say "required to vote" as the election laws obligate the citizens and resident aliens to vote. Other than being certifiably dead, sick or traveling, one faces fines and loss of banking / commercial privileges if one does not vote. Our polling place is some 2 kilometers distant and so we will have a nice stroll to vote. More to follow as we report on our first ever participation in local government outside of the USA. We are proud to be asked to vote and think that maybe the USA should consider the same for legal aliens who are "allowed" to pay USA taxes but have no voice in how the politics work.