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Annette, a 38-year-old Cuban who is now a Peruvian citizen, had one of the most emotional moments of the electoral day in Peru this Sunday as she participated for the first time in her life as a polling station member during the general elections held in the Andean country.
After nine years of residency in Peru and having obtained Peruvian nationality just over two years ago, Annette was randomly selected to serve as an electoral officer at the Alfonso Ugarte Educational Institution in the San Isidro district of Lima.
"It is the first time in my life that I will vote directly for a president, a congressman, and everything is the first time. I am very excited and very happy. I came to fulfill my duty as a poll worker," she declared to the cameras of Latina Televisión.
Annette openly contrasted the democratic reality of Peru with the political system of Cuba, where the president is not directly elected by the citizens but by the deputies of the National Assembly of People's Power, in a one-party system.
"I am learning about many things that perhaps Peruvians do not value as much, but the ability to vote and directly choose a president by marking a ballot is an incredible thing because we cannot," he stated.
His family is also closely experiencing this unprecedented situation.
"My mom and dad, for example, it's the first time they are experiencing an electoral process here in Peru. They are not voting, but they are watching it and also wondering about many things; it seems incredible to them," he recounted.
Annette explained that she obtained Peruvian nationality after fulfilling the residency requirements and that it was necessary to wait an additional two years after naturalization in order to be able to exercise her right to vote, according to Peruvian regulations.
About to turn 39, the Cuban summed up the historical weight of the moment with a heartfelt phrase: "I turn 39 in a week, can you imagine? In 38 years, it's the first time I'm going to vote for a president, so thank you very much, Peru."
His testimony comes in the context of an election regarded as one of the most complex in Peruvian history, featuring 35 presidential candidates and over 27 million eligible voters tasked with electing a president, senators, representatives, and members of the Andean Parliament.
The excitement of Cubans voting for the first time in foreign democracies is a documented phenomenon in several countries. In the Madrid elections on May 4, 2021, Cuban emigrants in Spain participated en masse, interpreting the vote as a symbol of freedom against the regime in Havana.
When asked if other Cubans have held similar positions in Peruvian elections, Annette said: "I’m not entirely sure, but there are several Cubans here, and some have been here since the 1980s, so I imagine some have already gone through the process and maybe one has even been a polling station member."
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