On AMLO's authoritarian side: Opposing him is "treason." PRD votes over alliances.

The state council of PRD mexiquense, or the local branch of PRD in Mexico State, are meeting today in Toluca to vote over the proposal to go in an alliance with the PAN for the upcoming gubernatorial election. 


National party president Jesús Ortega, who is a strong proponent of the alliances, has nonetheless promised to abide by the decision of the PRD state branches: The decision to go in an alliance or not is theirs to decide, and Ortega will democratically respect the decision. 


Not so with AMLO. Ahead of today's vote, he has ramped up his activism in Mexico state, deeming it a "treason" should PRD join the PRD with a common candidate, widely considered the only chance the party has to avoid a new PRI governor and thus Enrique Peña Nieto's presidential vicotry and the PRI's return to Los Pinos in 2012. A day after he forced the PT to openly reject an alliance, yesterday he confirmed he will not respect any decision by the official and elected PRD leadership, and openly threatened to present a third candidate and to call upon his followers within and outside the PRD to reject a common PRD-PAN candidate. And to top this off, AMLO is accusing the PRD of "treason" - for not abiding to his will. 


Over the years, AMLO's authoritarian streaks have emerged ever more clearer. He will respect absolutely no dissenting opinion within the PRD, and it is clear he regards the party principally as a tool whose mission is to pliantly back his 2012 presidential bid. Ortega, for his part, called AMLO's threats "inadmissible," and his further declarations clearly marks the contrast with Ortega's socialdemocratic - and democratic - wing of the PRD, and AMLO's highly personalistic - and ever more authoritarian - populist project: 

"To accuse those who think differently of beign traitors, to me is an excess that can not be admitted... that we have differences does not give the right to anyone to disqualify as a traitor those who simply disagree...the leaders of PRD in Mexico State will decide on the policy of alliances; that is the [party] statute, that is what the statute says and what the rules of the party are."

Yet AMLO has already decided that those who do not agree with him are indeed traitors. He is absolutely in his right to reject the alliances, and, as Ortega notes, so is the PRD state council, which today may well reject the alliances, but it is clear that AMLO will absolutely not abide by any majority will. As such, Ebrard should know by now that AMLO will never accept any poll or vote where he is not declared the winner and the left's candidate for 2012.