With the election close to wrapping up, international students at the UW are getting a taste of American politics. Many are intrigued by the two-party system, the debates and the sheer duration of the race.

Rika Kurose, a senior from Japan, found the televised presidential debates bizarre. There are no debates in Japanese elections.

“Japanese politicians can’t debate,” Kurose said. “I think it’s a cultural difference. They don’t want to talk about their opinions. Here, politicians are attacking each other and it’s so shocking for me.”

The debates helped Kurose make up her mind about which candidate she favored. She began to lean toward John McCain after hearing Barack Obama discuss his position on free trade during a debate. She feels McCain’s openness to free trade will better help foreign businesses thrive.

“I think debates are helpful for people who are undecided,” Kurose said.

Dhia Rabiai, a graduate student from Tunisia, also found the debates interesting. However, he did not like the way McCain and Sarah Palin tried to dig up things from Obama’s past in an effort to diminish his popularity.

“It isn’t important to talk about these kinds of things now,” Rabiai said. “People don’t care about who Obama was friends with.”

Several students commented about the length and expensiveness of American campaigns.

“The U.S. campaign is too long and it’s wasteful,” said Jina Kwon, an English Language Program (ELP) student from South Korea. In her country, campaigns only last a few months.

Elections in Japan are completely different, said Naomi Tomaru, an ELP student from Japan. People vote for a certain party, which then appoints one of its members as prime minister.

This causes the younger generation to be less interested in politics, which contrasts with the the major milestone of turning 18 for young people in the United States.

“In the U.S., people are so heated up about elections,” Tomaru said. “In Japan people can’t vote for the prime minister.”

Several students expressed a preference for a political system involving more than two parties. In Denmark, for example, more than seven parties compete for prominence. The leader of the winning party becomes the prime minister.

“I prefer the multi-party system because more views are expressed. You can choose from more extreme or center parties,” said Malene Larsen, a graduate student from Denmark.

Italy also has more than two parties. Andrea Visioni, a junior from Italy, likes the American system but feels that two parties are inadequate.

“I think just two parties is not very good for democracy,” she said.

Although American citizens can choose their leaders, American politicians aren’t as close to the people as they could be, said Shaun Meares, a senior from Australia.

She believes there is a vast distinction between the average American and the politician who represents them. This gap is not always present in other countries, such as Australia.

“In America, the president is a really big deal and the politicians seem so inaccessible,” Meares said. “In Australia one of the former prime ministers holds the world record for sculling a yard glass [chugging a lot of beer] and another died while surfing.”

From length of campaign to accessibility of candidates, election processes around the world differ greatly. However, some international students appreciate the American system.

“I like the way of elections here,” Tomaru said. “It’s long, but we need to think about who we’re voting for.”

Reach contributing writer Robin Kallsen at development@dailyuw.com.