Bananas at the ballot box: the funniest moments of Argentina’s 2023 elections

From Iron Man and Chainsaw Man to a newly-wed, these Argentines know how to do their civic duty in style

Banana in pijama goes to vote

With 104,000 polling stations operating throughout the country this general election, it comes as little surprise that some poll workers — and voters themselves — were in for some strange moments. From Chainsaw Man to crime suspects being arrested, here are a few of our favorite election day moments.

Argentine voters never disappoint on the costume front, and there were some funky outfits on display on Sunday. In Luján, Buenos Aires province, a Tony Stark lookalike arrived in full Iron Man gear. 

In the San Francisco de Asís school in Llavallol, a Bananas in Pyjamas fan dressed as Banana 2 to carry out his civic service. Fun fact: in Spanish, the Bananas in Pyjamas are called Bananín and Bananón.

The protagonist from the popular Japanese manga series, Chainsaw Man, also made an appearance at the polling stations today — but the appearance of this character had a more political meaning. 

Javier Milei, the La Libertad Avanza candidate, has often wielded a chainsaw during his rallies to symbolize his promise of a “chainsaw plan” to drastically cut the size of the state and eliminate public subsidies. The apparent political intent behind the outfit therefore broke the Argentine electoral law known as the veda, as voters cannot suggest who they are going to vote for at the polling stations. 

‘Chainsaw Man’ posted a video of himself on his way to the voting station, on his TikTok account.

It wasn’t all fancy dress, though. In Mendoza, Viviana Rosa Olivari went to vote in her wedding dress, straight from her own wedding the night before. She could barely hide her joy as she carried out her civic duty.

Voting is mandatory between the ages of 18 and 70 in Argentina. But why stop then? Alicia “Coca” Baldó showed up to vote on Sunday at the age of 102, accompanied by her great nephew. “I like to come and vote and I do it with conviction,” she told LT3 radio station.

Duty sometimes means sacrifice — especially if there’s a warrant in your name. A 27-year-old man in Bahía Blanca was arrested on robbery charges when he went to vote, and a 60-year-old man in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Belgrano ended his trip to the ballot box detained on fraud charges. 

Sunday’s results mean there will be a run-off between Sergio Massa of Unión por la Patria (UxP) and Javier Milei of La Libertad Avanza, which will be held on November 19. So expect to see more of these pearls (perlitas, as they’re known here) in the second round. 

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