Argentina 11/07/11
The vote out for the city whilst Cristina takes a step against sexual exploitation by banning all marketing related to prostitution.
Sunday saw more than two million ‘porteños’ commit their choices to the ballot boxes for the next four years of city government in Buenos Aires. 2518 candidates are running for 137 roles in the city, with current mayor Mauricio Macri and Kirchnerist MP Daniel Filmus contending for the top role.
What does looks likely is that neither of the front-runners will achieve the necessary 50% of the vote to win outright. With Filmus a key member of the president’s Frente para la Victoria party (Front for Victory – FpV) the result will provide an interesting preliminary point of reference for the national elections set to take place in October.
Contributing to the high number of positions contested this week is the introduction of new grass roots ‘commune’ or municipality systems that ratifies local neighbourhood assemblies- which have grown in influence and importance since the collapse of the economy and the political vacumn in 2001 – as official and democratically elected extension of local government.
Splitting the city in 15 municipalities, these organisations will control 5% of the city’s annual budget – some 1200 million pesos –with juristiion over secondary roads, public lighting, pavements and trees, placing desicion making at the local level. Each communal legislative will have 7 elected members.
In other news, the ubiquitous Buenos Aires sight of lurid coloured-paper ads clinging to telephone booths and street-hoardings may be no more from this week as the president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, banns all forms of marketing for prostitution or other sexual offers.
Prostitution is legal in Argentina and advertisements in newspaper, magazines and through leafleting is widespread. Of all the major newspapers from which pulsamérica synthesises its news, only Página 12 and El Cronista do not accept adverts related to the sex trade.
‘We have taken a huge step against the double morals and hypocrisy that reins strong in certain sectors over a question that affects the majority of Argentineans’ said Kirchner.
Whilst prostitution is not illegal in Argentina, legislation does exist to control ‘sexual exploitation’, prohibiting the ‘promotion, [...] or profiteering of whatever form of sexual commerce’.
This week’s legislation finds coherence within broader efforts in Kirchner’s government to combat the sexualisation of women within what continues to be a strongly macho culture.
Lastly, Aeropuertos Argentinos 2000 have announced go ahead this week for a planned third terminal for Buenos Aires’ international airport, Ezeiza. Taking place over 19 months, 200 million US dollars will be invested ‘Terminal C’. All of the new vehicles will all be run on biofuel.
