While regarded by many as the beginning of his campaign for the PRI's national presidency, the occasion of Coahuila governor Humberto Moreira Valdés's fifth informe or report to the state congress smacked more of a coronation of Moreira as the new leader of PRI, which has been his stated goal for a while.
It bears notice that the event, attended by thousands of supporters, drew even more PRI bigshots than Enrique Peña Nieto's informe just a few weeks back: A whopping 22 or so governors and governors-elect attended. Notably, as opposed to Enrique Peña Nieto, Moreira also is justified in boasting of significant social progress in the state during his governorship, which began in 2005. While Coahuila was certainly among Mexico's wealthiest states to begin with, but the state has succeeded in attracting 7.6 billion dollars in investment in the past five years, while notably improving health access and primary school drop-out rates.
Moreira's most likely competitor for the PRI presidency was Emilio Gamboa Patrón, head of the PRI-affiliated Confederación Nacional de Organizaciones Populares (CNOP), yet Gamboa's calls for a "single and unity candidate" strongly suggests he has thrown in the towel.
I've noted the past weeks that in-page internet political ads touting the achievements of Coahuila has popped up in quite a few Web pages, such as Proceso and La Jornada, clearly suggesting that Moreira's ambitions do not stop at being head of PRI. Withouth naming names, Moreira has on numerous occasions denounced the practice of using the party presidency as a trampoline to become federal deputy, senator, and of course candidate for national president (Roberto Madrazo), and he has openly pushed for changes to party rules that would ban candidates for doing so.
This should certainly not be taken to mean that Moreira does not harbor ambitions of his own for the presidency, though it would have to wait until 2018, when he will still be in his early fifties. As a likely part of this plan, one can expect him to try to have his brother elected as Coahuila governor in 2011, though an interim governor will most likely step in for Moreira when he officially launches his all-but-decided campaign to head the PRI. Moreira has carefully groomed his brother to succeed him, though having an interim governor for a year would at least prevent Moreira from directly handing over the governorship to his brother, and somewhat blunt the obvious charges of nepotism.
This should certainly not be taken to mean that Moreira does not harbor ambitions of his own for the presidency, though it would have to wait until 2018, when he will still be in his early fifties. As a likely part of this plan, one can expect him to try to have his brother elected as Coahuila governor in 2011, though an interim governor will most likely step in for Moreira when he officially launches his all-but-decided campaign to head the PRI. Moreira has carefully groomed his brother to succeed him, though having an interim governor for a year would at least prevent Moreira from directly handing over the governorship to his brother, and somewhat blunt the obvious charges of nepotism.
PAN and PRD will most likely run together in a coalition against Moreira's brother in 2011, but as things stand today, appear to have little chance against the Moreira machine, which may well turn into the Moreira dynasty.
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