Thursday, March 3, 2011

IFE: Hugo Valdemar broke Mexican electoral law; Sandoval Iñiguez exonerated

A decision of importance: The Federal Electoral Council (IFE), following a vote in its general council, declared that Hugo Valdemar, "spokesperson" for the Mexico City archdiocese, had indeed broken Mexican electoral law by calling on people not to vote for the party PRD.

This is truly a historic decision: A high-ranking member of the church found guilty of breaking Mexican electoral law. I cannot think of any comparable act in Mexican history.

At the same time, IFE exonerated Juan Sandoval Iñiguez, archbishop of Guadalajara for proselytizing/electioneering; the arch-reactionary archbishop had, to recall, accused Marcelo Ebrard of bribing the Supreme Court. Note that several processes against Sandoval remain open; he was only let off the hook for "electioneering."

IFE had first refused to touch the cases against Hugo Valdemar, "spokesperson" for the Mexico City archdiocese, and Juan Sandoval Iñiguez, archbishop of Guadalajara, claiming it had no jurisdiction over the matter, yet the Electoral Tribunal (TEPFJ) ruled otherwise and sent the case back to IFE, which in the end voted that Valdemar broke the law.

Now, let's see if any sanction will be applied by the Interior ministry, whose responsibility it would be to mete out one.

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