Alejandro Páez received 2,431 votes and won a victory as the “Proyecto Sur” (South Project) party’s candidate for mayor of Andalgalá.  He defeated the two parties Civic Front (1,883 votes); and the Front for Victory (1,568 votes), both sponsored by the mining industry.  What does this victory mean for politics and territory?

Source: ComAmbiental

On the other hand, the provincial governor-elect is Lucía Corpacci, of the Front for Victory (PJ), who as a senator voted against the Glacier Act. In this way, citizens have sabotaged the re-election bid "for 20 years" of the current governor Brizuela del Moral, of the Civic and Social Front (UCR). There were also triumphs of reason against large mining projects in the towns of Belén and Tinogasta.

Andalgalá.  As was predicted by ComAmbiental, Proyecto Sur, which ran with the backing of the Socialist Workers Movement, had a good chance of winning in Andalgalá, by sponsoring the activist leader Alejandro Páez, known for his position against the large scale mining model.  “The political systems have been converted into corporations,” said the mayor-elect.  At the same time he promised to work “with conviction to find solutions for the most neglected areas of the district.”

“We won, despite the Agua Rica sets joining in with the candidates from the Civic Front and the Front for Victory,” announced Victoria Donda, delegate for the Proyecto Sur movement.  She made the announcement from Andalgalá via Twitter.  The presidential candidate Fernando "Pino" Solanas showed his contentment as he described the population as “an example of the fight against large scale mining.”  He also recognized the victory as “a growing environmental consciousness” and added that the corporations are losing support.

Continuum.  The news highlighted by the media in the province was the victory of Lucía Corpacci as governor of Catamarca.  In this way the Front for Victory produced “change,” having defeated the current governor, Brizuela del Moral, of the Civil and Social Front.  However, as highlighted by ComAmbiental, the differences are not very noticeable because both shared in the victory formula in 2007.  The bipartisanship included changes of space and awkward alliances in the Justicialist Party.

What about the glaciers?   The most important thing to note is that both political movements support the La Alumbrera and Agua Rica corporations’ large scale mining model.  This includes the current Senator Lucía Corpacci, and her vice governor elect, the current delegate Dalmacio Mera.  They each voted against the Glacier Act.  On various occasions, the current governor spoke out against this law, which he considers to be unconstitutional.  The 20 provincial delegates are split along these lines.

This is important because the province needs to protect the Sierra de la Aconquija zone as a source of fresh water.  José Luis Gioja, the current governor of San Juan, was one of the first political figures from the Front for Victory to greet Corpacci.  Gioja is driving his re-election and shares views with his brother and national senator César Gioja.  The family is emblematic of this kind of model, along with the Secretary of Mining, Jorge Mayoral, who also leads the crusade against the Glacier Act.

Belén and Tinogasta.  There were also celebrations in other towns to the west of Andalgalá.  There, two candidates from the Front for Victory also won, but with platforms against large scale mining.  In Tinogasta, Hugo "Grillo" Ávila (FpV) will return to the mayor’s seat, having received 3,568 votes, thus defeating Simón Quintar (FCS), who received 3,287 votes.  And in Belén, Arnoldo "Nolo" Ávila (FpV) received 3,441 votes and remained at his post, where he has been for the past eight years.  "Telchi" Ríos received only 3,176 votes.  Two more elections that leave in question the future relationship with the provincial government.

Politics and Territory.  In the discussion regarding the Glacier Act, various delegates of the mining governments expressed that the “locals” should not interfere with provincial issues without knowing the true facts.  Never-the-less, elections in areas that host large scale mining ventures, demonstrated their rejection through the voting process.  In this way, perhaps it will be the representatives from the provincial capital who will not recognize the problems within their territory.