Sapphire Moonlight

Chapter 49

Chapter 49

After they had been to the beach, the year went by and then October came and the elections.  

There was no need for a second running. The governor of Sao Joao D'Acre won an overwhelming victory. 

It had been predicted by the polls from the very start. When polling was closed at five in the afternoon there was a brief interval of speculation. Then at about seven in the evening the first results began to appear and the governor of Sao Joao D'Acre was ahead. The margin kept widening as new results came. At eight o'clock the incumbent president and everyone from his party said it was still early to talk about the final results of the election. The president said he had the best chances of winning the elections. At ten o'clock it was clear there would be a landslide. People, politicians, supporters of the winning party were celebrating everywhere. At half past ten in the evening the incumbent president conceded defeat. He made a stirring speech. Even the ones that had voted against him were moved and thought he wasn't as bad as all that and believed that he had been a great president after all. The point was that the time for a change had come and people thought they might as well give the governor of Sao Joao D'Acre a chance.  

Lively celebrations went on throughout the night.  

People at home were glued to their television sets all over the country until late at night. It was a Sunday. On TV politician after politician appeared to give interviews. Politicians from the winning party talked happily about their prospects for the future and about what the new government intended to do. Politicians from the defeated party acknowledged defeat and said it happened in an election, that one party had to lose in order for the other party to win. That they would have to reorganize their party. They all swore allegiance to the outgoing president. 

On TV commentators made analysis of every move, talked about trends, made predictions.  

People had gathered at the winning party central headquaters. The new president was expected to arrive at any moment with his wife. Pictures of him voting in the morning accompanied by his wife had been shown on TV just as pictures of the outgoing president voting together with his wife had been. 

The newly elected president arrived. He made a rousing speech.  

Commentators on TV were talking about the new ministers and who they would be and even interviewing them in the air. 

In Providencia do Rio Turvo, Denise's father had obtained an equally overhelming victory, as it had been expected. Lively celebrations were going on there too.