Dominican political parties: A test in color coordination

Political posters advertising the candidates for the upcoming local elections for the positions of Sindaco (mayor), Vice Sindaco, and Diputado of Sosua/Caberete line the principle highway that runs from Puerto Plata to Caberete. Each poster is brightly colored to show with party the candidate pledges allegiance to, but don't for a second be fooled into thinking that these allegiances are permanent; like many things in Dominican culture, political parties are fluid organizations given to spontaneous shifts in loyalty.

Willy Olivence (a.k.a. "El Chamo") was running for Sindaco of Sosua with the red party (PRSC Catholic reformists) but recently decided to change sides and is now running as Vice Sindaco for the white party (revolutionary "socialist" party PRD)who has Ilana Neumann as their Sindaco candidate. Oh, and FYI the white party is also the blue party. The red party now has the very Dominican named Vladimir Céspedes. Apparently Vladimir, the current mayor of Sosua, had wanted El Chamo to help him form a coalition between the liberal party (PLD) and PRSC but El Chamo preferred to go blue, which is of course white. In total there are about 22 parties but only 12 are running for office in Sosua.

My vote would go to Ilana, not so much because I'm a socialist but more because her posters are pretty. They have a simple white backdrop and feature everyday people looking happy. Her posters say she stands for things like women, jobs, youth, and a better future. She even stands for sports! Come on, who wouldn't want those things? I mean, clearly the aesthetic appeal of one's posters is the most important indicator of future political effectiveness. In this poster she says that she's for family.



This guy is running for the purple people (PLD), who are the current people in office on the national scale with President Leonel Fernandez.


This poster amuses me. What exactly is he looking at? I feel like he could, at any moment, begin to sing some sort of operatic love song.