well I guess by now everyone is aware of the results and the significant victory of the PLD. pacheco's campaign, which cost him something like 79 million pesos, was, as those in the know foretold, a miserable failure (thank god) and one of the hotly contested races for the Senate, between Hernani Salazar and Am?lcar Romero, which I covered along with Panky Corcino for Clave Digital, turned into a resounding victory for the PLD. There was lots of shooting over in Salcedo, some in Moca, and in SF de Macoris we spent part of election day chasing various rumors about violent acts but witnessed only a few rather ridiculous events grossly exaggerated by the rumor mill. Meanwhile Hernani and his bodyguards were rushing around town desperately trying to muster last minute support, and in the process one of the Yipetas hit a youth who was taken to the hospital thereafter. During Election night the lights went out mysteriously in the JCE (while all around everything remained lit as well as the 2nd floor of the building). The military immediately beefed up its presence and even pulled in a few stray police and sailors. Nothing happened but the people delivering the vote had to wait on line for hours. In Salcedo families of both candidates -- Roquelin and Elido -- were victims of attacks with firearms, so the families were sequestered elsewhere on Election day. Salcedo proved to be a pretty hot little race, which provided an ironic contrast with the extremely nice people there and the beauty and orderliness of everything there (most beautiful Sam?n trees I have ever seen). Otherwise, all in all, one of the most orderly elections I have witnessed here.