A Political Weekend in Buenos Aires

Yes, all eyes are focused on the Copa America (especially men’s eyes), despite the football fans feeling a bit cheated by the lack of goals scored so far. 

Alcohol Prohibition until Sunday.

This weekend, Buenos Aires will stop thinking about football for one day and move its attention to a more complicated matter, one that is more relevant to the future of the city: the mayoral elections, scheduled for next Sunday, 10^th of July 2011, just one day after the celebrations of the 195th anniversary of Argentinean independency.

So how does it affect your travel itineraries? The most important consideration for travelers is the “veda” or “prohibition”, a word that you'll probably hear a lot over the next few days, which means that from Friday 8^th of July at 8am until the end of the elections on Sunday evening, it is forbidden any type of political publicity and from this Saturday, all public places are not allowed to sell alcoholic drinks of any kind. As a consequence, pubs, bars and dance clubs will be closed, so if you are planning to have a romantic weekend over a glass of wine or to spend it partying hard, then you'll have to do it privately, and buy your drinks on the last Thursday before the ban, or join a private event in one of Buenos Aires’ Tango Show that will be operating normally.

Then what can I do in Buenos Aires during the election weekend? As you probably will be sober the whole weekend, you can wake up early on Saturday morning and take a stroll to Avenida de Mayo, a wonderful place to enjoy a Porteno breakfast in one of its many classic cafes such as the Cafe Tortoni, 36 Billares or London City Cafe. After your typical Porteno breakfast and a media-luna (coffee and pastry) you’ll see the beginnings of the traditional parade that takes place all along Avenida de Mayo between the buildings of Congress and towards the Casa Rosada at the Plaza de Mayo. If you want to see more of Buenos Aires culture, you can join the celebrations, which start in the early afternoon at the Obelisco or if you would rather take it easy, prepare to rent a movie or buy your cinema tickets well in advance, because with so many people locked up at home, a film with popcorn will probably be everyone’s plan for this Saturday night.

Mauricio Macri Buenos Aires current's Mayor

Who are the Porteños voting for? The decision is not easy, and the debate is hotting up between the three main contenders: Mauricio Macri, the current mayor, who has been highly criticized by his opposition to the National Government; Daniel Filmus, the candidate of the political party lead by President Cristina Kirchner and finally, Pino Solanas, a former filmmaker, who is representing left-wing attitudes with a coalition whom also oppose the current government.

The most important themes are keeping Buenos Aires clean, charming, with education and more equal conditions for all its inhabitants. As travelers, we will be watching this cultural experience of the Buenos Aires’ elections and hoping that the outcome is the best candidate for this city and its people.


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