on voting

"What is happening more and more today is that democracy is being confused with elections. At one time democracy -- at least to us -- meant participation in the distribution of wealth; collective decision making on issues that affect us all; and pressure and mobilization in order to influence state policies. Now the only acceptable meaning of "democracy" seems to be competition in the electoral market.

This kind of politics is the official politics of the bosses, the politicians, and the foreign institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. These groups want their politics to be the only legitimate kind. They do their utmost to discredit mobilizations, to dismiss our proposals, and to ignore our needs. All that they recognize as politically "legitimate" is participation in the electoral marketplace -- which is a place where we are not represented and where they will always win."

-- Oscar Olivera