Mexico's electoral institute prohibits political debates among contenders

I am not a legal expert, but it seems to me that Mexico's Instituto Federal Electoral (IFE) has truly gone overboard this time, far beyond its rights and duties: A couple of days ago, IFE decided to sanction the PRD and PAN for having held a debate among "pre-candidates," or among those vying to be their party's nominee for the governorship of Nayarit.

This in effect bans what are really primaries, and is an enormous extension of the IFE's reach.
The PT and Convergencia, to their discredit, had complained that a PAN and a PRD candidate, without officially having become their party's nominee, held a televised debate months ago, and IFE now struck it down as illegal.

Yes, holding a political debate is illegal until one is the party's nominee.

Waiting for a an AMLO-Ebrard televised showdown? A Peña Nieto-Beltrones debate over who has the best program? Forget it - IFE has banned it.

This is truly preposterous.

Setback for abortion rights: Extremist state-level abortion legislation left standing

The Supreme Court voted 7-4 in Mexico to overturn extremist anti-abortion legislation on the state level (in Baja California), but it wasn't enough: Eight votes were needed.

This is tragic news, on very many levels. In Baja California (and possibly SLP - vote still pending over its legislation), many, many, women will die from unsanitary illegal abortions or will denied having abortions even if giving birth may cause their death. In other states, PRI and PAN local legislators will feel emboldened by the Supreme Court decision to press similar legislation.

The PRD and parts of PRI rightfully criticized Calderón's shameful intervention in the debate yesterday, threatening to push legislation to withdraw Mexico's reservations against the 1969 San José Pact.

The day after pill? Forget it; it will now be defined as murder.
A miscarriage? Unless you can prove it, you may be facing murder charges.

A sad day yesterday for Mexican women and human rights.

Paredes keeps deafening silence on abortion issue

In 2012, Mexico City will elect a new mayor. They deserve someone with far more guts than Beatriz Paredes Rangel, likely PRI candidate: While the Supreme Court is undertaking a revision of extremist legislation on abortion enacted in two of Mexico's states, Paredes - former PRI leader, and someone who claims a "center-left" political orientation, refuses to even state her position on abortion, and the Supreme Court's upcoming decision. To recall, the legislation removes any right for women to choose to have an abortion, even in cases of rape, and declares that life begins at "conception."

Yet Paredes won't say anything at all about what she thinks about this legislation, virulently hostile to women, which was introduced in half of Mexico's state with the backing of her party when she was its national president.

This is political cowardice, pure and simple - and not worthy of a political leader

"Enough of Televisa Abuses" NGO formed ("Ya basta de abusos de Televisa")

Now here's a civic organization that I'd gladly support: The recently formed "Ya basta de abusos de Televisa" or "Enough of Televisa Abuses," referring to the powerful yet much-criticized television network Televisa.

Its objective? To remove Televisa's license to broadcast. That'll be the day, but I still am allowed to long for it.

Live from Mexican Supreme court - crucial abortion decision today

Here you can watch the deliberations live.

Abortion rights in Mexico: Crucial day as Supreme court votes

It's front page news in El Universal, La Jornada, and Milenio, and for a reason:
Today is an extremely important day for abortion rights in Mexico.

Following a splendid initiative by Supreme Court Minister (judge) Fernando Franco González Salas, the Supreme Court is deliberating over whether the highly repressive state laws passed in San Luis Potosi and Baja California where a woman has essentially no right over her body to have an abortion whatsoever.

If it rejects the laws, it will be a huge setback for the restrictionists, who have pushed extremist legislation (no day after pill, no abort if incest, rape, etc) in a majority of Mexico's state.

Even Calderón waded clumsily and stupidly into the debate, arguing there is a "constitutional right to life" and that anti-abortion legislation falls under this.

Rumors are the vote will vote narrowly in favor of rejecting the SLP - BC laws. Stay tuned for the news.

Emmy for Presunto Culpable / Presumed Guilty

Fantastic news for the makers of Presunto Culpable / Presumed Guilty: It was just awarded an Emmy for Best Investigative Journalism.

It's a fantastic documentary, and I've showed as well in my seminar on Mexican politics, where it was most definitely a crowd pleaser. Go see it if you haven't!

Both AMLO and Cárdenas back PRD candidate in Micoacán - though separately

Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas appeared with the PRD's candidate for governor, Silvano Aureoles Conejo, for a campaign event in Morelia; in nearby Pátzcuaro, AMLO held a rally for his Morena movement, also appearing with Aureoles.

Their paths did not cross.

Let's see if the support of both the PRD's historic caudillos is enough.

Massive internal elections in PRD Oct. 23 in every state

Following a demand from Mexico's Federal Electoral Tribunal (TEPJF), the Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD) will hold elections to renew the state branches of 30 states plus Mexico City, all on Oct. 23 (Michocán the exception, given that it is living through a gubernatorial election already).

It will be very interesting to see the outcome - what party faction controls which state branch - as whoever comes out on top will have a great organizational advantage ahead of choosing PRD's presidential candidate.

AMLO: Recount 2006 votes!

It's déjà vu all over again. Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) asked that a citizen organization carry out a full recount of the votes in the 2006 presidential election, to know, once and for all, who won in 2006.

What a splendid idea. Let's forget, for a second, that AMLO never filed a full petition with the electoral tribunal to have all the votes recounted, only in the areas where he lost - despite the calls in the street of "vote  by vote, ballot box by ballot box." And let's forget as well that there where two recounts in the areas where AMLO had expected to pick up greatly, but didn't. And that in the five years that have followed, no evidence has surfaced that in any way corroborates a fraud. Out with all that, for a second.

I wholly support AMLO's idea. In fact, why not arrange a public ceremony where AMLO signs a document promising to respect the outcome, whatever it is, of that vote. That is, should he lose it, he will NOT resort to other arguments along the "well-the-boxes-were-stuffed-beforehand" line but actually, if the recount does not favor him, he commits himself to apologizing for the enormous costs his protests have created, the division and rancor the fraud claims have furthered, and so on.

Mexican "Green party" goes for Enrique Peña Nieto in 2012

It was hardly news, and moreover the presentation of it was quite botched, given another event held nearby by Marcelo Ebrard. Jorge Emilio González Martínez of the PVEM "Green party" (in quotation marks as it was long kicked out of the Green International, and is a party fully devoid of any pro-environmental agenda) announced that the PVEM will back Enrique Peña Nieto as its presidential candidate in 2012.

It was an embarrassing spectacle: The official occasion was the informe or activities report, so to speak, of Senator René Arce Islas, elected on a PRD label yet ditched it for the PRI and is now.. a PVEM senator!
Embarrassing for many reasons, including that Arce was in the middle of his speech yet was forced to stop it when Enrique Peña Nieto showed up. The former Mexico State governor, for his part, expressed support for Beatriz Paredes Rangel as the PRI's contender in 2012 to be mayor of Mexico city. This is exactly, however, what Arce is going for, and the equivalent of a cold shower on those ambitions.

Mario Delgado: Ebrard's favorite to be next Mexico City mayor

Technically it was only an event in "defense of education," so Mario Delgado's presence was quite natural given his position as education secretary in Mexico City. Yet given that his boss Marcelo Ebrard was there as well (the two arrived together, doing the hand-shaking pasarela together), along with key PRD elites such as Jesús Ortega and even historic leftwing leaders such as Salvador Martínez della Rocca , this is about as close to a formal endorsement by Ebrard of Delgado as his favored successor as it gets.

Martínez della Rocca, a 1968 student leader and political prisoner, referred to Ebrard as "chingón" - essentially, "fucking great." There you have it.

Senator Carlos Navarrete, a rival for the nomination, has recently stepped up his criticism of Ebrard, and won't be very happy about yesterday's event

The men behind Marcelo

Another background article from Milenio on the key persons or "G-10" behind Marcelo Ebrard's presidential campaign.

Key persons: Manuel Camacho Solís, his "mentor" for more than one decade; René Cervera, a childhood friend and head of the recently formed Fundación Equipo Equidad y Progreso "civic organization" promoting and organizing his bid; Armando Ríos Piter, parliamentary coordinator for PRD; José Ángel Ávila, Government Secretary (2nd in command) of Mexico City.

From Milenio

The men behind Josefina

Milenio has a background article on the "men behind Josefina" Vázquez Mota, and they are indeed mostly men, as I scan the list.

Key allies: Diódoro Carrasco, Ernesto Ruffo Appel,  Francisco Ramírez Acuña - all former governors of Oaxaca, Baja California, and Jalisco respectively (Carrasco for PRI, though).

Who is the liar: Josefina Vázquez Mota, or Luis Carlos Ugalde?

An odd spat that I don't quite know what to make of: Josefina Vázquez Mota, PAN front runner and coordinator of Felipe Calderón's 2006 campaign, said that Luis Carlos Ugalde, then head of the Federal Electoral Institute, called her to tell her that Calderón was ahead - this before his 11 pm "too close to call" speech.

Ugalde has responded very publicly, accusing Vázquez Mota of lying: He never called her or anyone.

What's behind this spat? Why did Vázquez Mota bring it up, and why is Ugalde taking such a strong public stance?

Emilio González Márquez finally steps down as PAN 2012 contender

The alcoholic, foul-mouthed, ultra-conservative governor of Jalisco, Emilio González Márquez (he of the "go fuck your mothers") finally threw the towel, leaving "only" three main contenders for PAN's 2012 nomination. 

His candidacy in a very loose sense reminded me of Michele Bachmann in the U.S.: Just like is only a question of time before she stands down, González Márquez's declination was really the chronicle of a declination foretold. 

A quick side note: Ciro Gómez Leyva calls his candidacy a "joke," which it truly was. However, I remember very well reading a column just a couple of months ago where the same and increasingly self-absorbed columnist made an argument along the "you better take him seriously" lines, which I found wholly unconvincing then. Quite amazing that he has already forgotten this, if indeed he has.

Peña Nieto's number magic on murder rates in Mexico State

A most recommended read from The Economist's The Americas blog: The governor's miraculous achievement. The title, regarding Peña Nieto's supposed achievements in drastically reducing the murder rates in Mexico City, is more than suggestive: Miracles just ain't what they seem.

This year Enrique Peña Nieto, the outgoing governor of Mexico state and the early front-runner in next year’s presidential election, used his September 5th informe to mark the unofficial launch of his presidential bid. Prominent in his address was the stunning claim that the murder rate in Mexico state had fallen by more than half during his six-year term... The claim is absolutely false.

Read original here.

Ex collaborators of Ulises Ruiz' government wanted by Interpol

If this is not a damning indictment of your government, I don't know what is: Interpol is instructing its organization (in 188 countries) to apprehend five former members five members of Ulises Ruiz' disastrous government in Oaxaca.

International warrants against your close collaborators - when are they finally going after Ruiz? Unfortunately, not very soon, it seems.

Narco Soliz Soliz : Last year, a candidate for Green Party federal deputy!

This is quite amazing: Last year, Saúl Solís Solís / Saúl Soliz Soliz, who was just arrested as an important figure within the Caballeros Templarios drug trafficking organization, was a candidate to be... a federal deputy!

While Solís Solís lost the vote, he was the candidate of the PVEM Green party, and here is his campaign video.

The new PRI: Efrén Leyva Acevedo in Guerrero

Efrén Leyva Acevedo is head of PRI in the state of Guerrero. It was just revealed how he falsely used the names of 20-odd mayors, deputies and senators - including the name of one who died in 2010 - by pretending they had "signed" and assented to press release where Leyva Acevedo accused the state government of Ángel Aguirre Rivero of being behind the recent murder of a PRI federal deputy.

Lying, faking signatures - so much for the "new" PRI.

The other PRI contender: Manlio Fabio Beltrones

Manlio Fabio Beltrones have not given up on his presidential ambitions, and Milenio has a good article on his circle of allies and advisers here.

Baja California, the miliary, and drunk public servants

This short new piece from La Jornada is simply worth translating in its entirety. Enjoy:

Mexicali, BC. Gen. Alfonso Duarte Mujica, commander of the Second Military Region, asked Governor José Guadalupe Osuna Millán Cardona that Secretary of Government Cuauhtémoc Benavides not be present at any military ceremony, and because of this he was absent from the ceremony to honor the Niños Héroes on September 13. Cardona Benavides said he arrived late and therefore did not step up to the podium. When the formal ceremony ended he went off without saying goodbye.

Is Juan Sabines a dark-horse PAN-PRD candidate for 2012?

Yesterday, Felipe Calderón went to the pro-business Council of the Americas yesterday, where he received the Gold Insigne award, its highest distinction.

Who accompanied him? His wife, his secretary of tourism - and Juan Sabines.

Juan Sabines, the governor of Chiapas, continues to baffle me. He is greatly criticized by many social organizations on the left, and has a rocky relationship with the party that had him elected (PRD), though he continues to rake in on a range of international awards for poverty fighting and environmental protection.

(he broke with his party in 2006 to immediately recognize Calderón's July 2 electoral victory)

In particular his backing of the UN's flagship emissions reduction/forest preservation program has attracted lots of attention internationally. I confess I still am withholding judgment on Sabines' government, as I am simply not familiar enough with them, and have not yet fully heard the other side.

But I have noted that mainstream Mexican newspapers have the last months continuously printed the press releases of the Chiapas government as if they were "news" stories - in particular Milenio, but notably also La Jornada. Their decision I think can be ascribed to, well, at times failing judgment on part of some copy editors. But for his part, Sabines is making a tremendous effort, albeit low level, to spread the achievements, real or not, of the Chiapas state government.

Sabines' term as governor is set to expire in 2012. I wonder if he has any higher ambitions, and even more if he has any friends in high places.

Lawsuit filed in U.S. federal court against Ernesto Zedillo for Acteal massacre

Reported first by Milenio, here's an exerpt from CNN;

Survivors and heirs of Mexican Indian villagers who were killed in a massacre in 1997 have filed a lawsuit in the United States against former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, accusing him of crimes against humanity.The civil action, filed Friday in Connecticut, where Zedillo currently resides while he teaches at Yale University, accuses him of being responsible for the killings of 45 villagers and afterward conspiring to cover it up. He was Mexico's president from 1994 to 2000.

Enrique Peña Nieto's destape, fittingly, live on Televisa

Enrique Peña Nieto declared his intentions to become president of Mexico. It happened, quite fittingly, live on Televisa, the media conglomerate that has incessantly promoted his candidacy, and has received millions of dollars in publicity promotion of the now ex-governor of Mexico State.

Aguachile hacked for sure: Fernando Castro Trenti posts

Now it is no longer a coincidence:

A second old post I had about PRI senator Fernando Castro Trenti received a bunch of hits out of the blue, and when I checked the old post, the message was completely garbled.

This is exactly what happened to another post on Fernando Castro Trenti, which I wrote about here.

It seems to me that Fernando Castro Trenti's supporters are on a roll to expunge any criticism of the Senator in English. No other posts than these two have received this treatment.

Fernando Castro Trenti is rumored to aspire to the governorship of Baja California.

I therefore suggest that readers of this blog check out my two old posts to get a sense of what kind of a man the senator really is - and, who knows, read them before they disappear.
Your comments are most welcome.

Fernando Castro Trenti admits he was wrong, then jumps on another stupid claim

PRI and the Great Lie: Guillermo Sánchez Nava, near death, faked it!

Edith Ruiz Mendicutti: A truly embarrassing person

This is beyond embarrassing: Edith Ruiz Mendicutti, a local deputy for the Partido del Trabajo in the Mexico City legislature, and probably one of the least qualified presidents of the culture commission in that legislature's history, as part of the "Children's Parliament" celebrated last week, led a group of children to "take" the dais or legislative tribune of the Mexico City legislature. The children screamed, pushed, and fought to maintain control of the tribune.

How is that for teaching children about democracy! If you're outvoted, simply use physical force instead! Teach 'em while they're young!

Alejandra Barrales, head of the legislature has also strongly criticized Ruiz Mendicutti, and she may be kicked out of the commission of culture. I truly hope this will happen:  She is an embarrassment to her party, the Mexico City legislature, and, lest we forget, hardly a great role model for school children on how democracy works.

Mexican army praises and awards a governor - is this its role?

I find recent spectacle in Veracruz downright bizarre, and quite disturbing:

"René Carlos Aguilar Páez, commander of the Sixth Military Region, gave governor Ochoa Javier Duarte two swords with embossed lettering, one with the word Veracruz and the other Forward, in recognition of the social commitment and the fight undertaken for the welfare of the people of Veracruz" (La Jornada)

Where I am from, it is the civilian political authorities that rewards the military for its deeds - not the other way around. This seems to me a very unfortunate mixing of roles, and politicization of the military - or, militarization of politics. Why on earth should the military "decorate" a governor, who has moreover been in office for less than nine months, for his "social commitments"?

From La Jornada

The caption from the above picture includes the line, "The veracruzano governor reaffirmed that his government's alliance with the armed forces is inseparable, not only to ensure the safety of the population, but to consolidate the prosperity we yearn for."

To declare a military-political alliance as "inseparable" rings very poorly in my ear, especially for a PRI-elected governor.

The Luis Miguel of Politics: The best take-down of Enrique Peña Nieto

This clip is not new, but I have so far seen none other that so effectively exposes hims for what he is: An obedient servant who is extremely cautious about his image, and who is terrified from straying from whatever clip is handed to him.

See Denise Dresser's take-down of Enrique Peña Nieto here.

PRI federal deputy found murdered

Moisés Villanueva, a kidnapped federal deputy belonging to the PRI, was found murdered yesterday in Guerrero state, together with his driver.

They disappeared on Sept. 4. There were no demands for ransom.

Peña Nieto steps down as governor, Eruviel Ávila assumes

Eruviel Ávila Villegas officially assumed as governor of Mexico State today, after an event yesterday with more than 2,000 "specially invited" guests.

How natural that they include former disgraced governor Arturo Montiel, infamous for the corruption and theft  during his government, and the man who made sure that his successor in 2005 would be Enrique Peña Nieto.

Peña Nieto, to recall, didn't lift a finger against Montiel or launch any investigation at all, even though his corruption, when it became known, largely sank his shot at becoming PRI's presidential candidate in 2006.

Now Montiel appears, having avoided the public for six years, to fittingly see off his creation, who is now set on winning the Mexican president.

Montiel received a standing ovation from the crowd.

Digna Ochoa investigation closed

Digna Ochoa was a human rights defender who died ten years ago, on Oct. 19 2001, in Mexico City. While it was ruled a suicide, her backers strongly rejected this - and pointed out that, incredulously, she would have had to shoot herself twice to achieve this: The autopsy found two 22-caliber bullet wounds. She had a lot of enemies, was kidnapped twice, and at one point went into exile in the U.S.

Many investigations followed, all inconclusive, and now the Mexico City Attorney general officially closed the investigation, Milenio reports. It had been reopened in 2010 on her family's request.

To many people today, Digna Ochoa's death was not a suicide - it was a murder.

Mexican Green Party president abruptly removed - media power?

Jorge Emilio González Martínez,  the "Green kid" who has been president of the Mexican Green Party, Partido Verde Ecologista de México (PVEM), was abruptly removed as president and made into an "honorary councilor" following a vote at the party's national assembly.

This is purely theatrics: The only other president of the Green party was  González' father Jorge González Torres (1991-2001), and the party remains a pure financial family enterprise without any life or direction of its own. It is moreover the only right-wing "green" party in the world that even got kicked out of the "Green international."

Most probably not by coincident, the abrupt removal at the PVEM top follows an amazing investigation in the Mexican daily El Universal that details how the entire party leadership consists of random friends - from school, party friends, even his house cleaner - of the niño verde, who many may remember from the 2004 video scandal where he was on hidden camera offered a hefty bribe to allow some beach development to take place in an endangered area.

The Atlantic's profile of Enrique Peña Nieto

It's well worth a read, by the excellent journalist Silvana Paternostro.

More on Cuauhtémoc Gutiérrez de la Torre, PRI's strongman in Mexico City

El Universal has done a lot of good digging on Cuauhtémoc Gutiérrez de la Torre, the "king of garbage," "Czar of trash," etc who controls upwards of half of the PRI's party council in Mexico City.
This article is a recommended read.

As it turns out, he is even a federal deputy - as suplente or substitute stand-in for PRI's Fuensanta Patricia Jiménez Case.

Truly anyone can become a PRI deputy, but it helps being a criminal and violent thug.

Must-read on Mexican Green Party, Partido Verde Ecologista de México (PVEM)

This article, which ran in El Universal a few days ago, is an absolute must-read on the Mexican Green Party (PVEM). It completely strips it down for what it is: a party "franchise" at the service of highest bidder and a tool for the pharmaceutical industry, all coalescing around its party leader Jorge Emilio González Martíne,a 30-year old who inherited the party from his father, and all his friends - they even recruited the house cleaner to become a federal deputy, just for kicks.

This is truly the most preposterous party in Mexico's political landscape today.
Here's a pdf with the most important characters in this franchise.

Gabino Cué will not go after Ulises Ruiz

Governor of Oaxaca Gabino Cué said yesterday he would not go after his predecessor Ulises Ruiz:

"When we have an element that can establish that he has committed an irregularity,  we will proceed, but to date we cannot act."

How disappointing. After his six years of criminal misrule, no evidence cannot be found? I find that extremely hard to believe.

PRI federal deputy kidnapped

I can't recall when this happened last, and certainly not in this legislature: PRI federal deputy Moisés Villanueva, from Guerrero, has been kidnapped for 10 days. 

Details are very sketchy, and the PRI legislative group is keeping a lid on the whole thing at the request of the deputy's family.

The deputy was, as the expression goes, levantado by armed men when he was visiting his district, Tlapa de Comonfort. No calls for ransom have been made.

When Milenio newspaper sought to investigate, they were chased away from the area by AK-47 wielding men.

And now Carlos Salinas backtracks, cowardly

Lying blatantly is of course nothing uncommon to Carlos Salinas, for those who recall his Dec 88-Dec 94 sexenio and dramatic aftermath. Yet to blatantly deny words that numerous journalists just heard you saying?

Salinas now totally denies that he ever suggested/challenged/offered in any way to hold a debate with AMLO ("He is going to lose," Salinas said just days ago). AMLO, to recall, for his part only ingenuously  "accepted" the challenge if all the 30 members of the mafia and Enrique Peña Nieto as well joined for the debate. Yet now Salinas denies ever having said what he said. What cowardice, from both.

Mexican presidents: Where do they come from? Useful graphic

From Milenio:

Words of the day from Ernesto Cordero

While I wouldn't in a million years vote for Ernesto Cordero, I'll let him have the words of the day:

"It is not the old PRI that worries me, but the PRI of today, the PRI of the immorality of (Mario) Marín, that of the authoritarianism of Ulises Ruiz, that of the irresponsibility of (Humberto) Moreira. After losing the presidency, the PRI learnt nothing, nor has it forgotten anything."

The Mexican budget

On thursday, Ernesto Cordero handed in the proposed budget for 2012, and then resigned to concentrate on running for the 2012 presidency. It was a bit of a strange maneuver - while I understand he wanted to use the occasion (and as an excuse for not resigning earlier), it was a bit of "here it is, but I'm outta here"-feel.

Regardless: Here is Milenio's detailed breakdown, as well as Bloomberg's English summary.

Total spending of around 290 billion dollars, an increase in spending of 2.5 percent in real terms.

The U.S budget is 3,700 billion dollars by comparison.

Aguachile hacked?

Strangest thing, and a first: In the stats for this blog, which I occassionally check, there was all of sudden a big jump for an old post I wrote about PRI Senator Fernando Castro Trenti

To refresh my memory I checked out the post on Castro Trenti, but then found the actual text to be completely garbled and unreadable. It was the only post on this blog to suffer this.

Though hardly of transcendent importance, I nonetheless had a backup of the post's content which I restored. I could of course be a blogger.com glitch, but I just can't make any sense out of it.

Religious extremism in Puebla: Archbishop acts like fascist thugs

This is about as extreme as it gets, given that the bigotry is promoted by none less than the archdiocese of Puebla: In San Rafael Tlanalapan Wednesday, 50 catholic extremists gathered outside a christian evangelist chapel to threaten the worshipers with lynching(!). Why this anger and hatred? Because they want to construct a church in a predominantly catholic area.

Yet what is the response of the archbishop? To give full backing to Ascensión Benítez González, the priest leading the mob, deny that he is advocating any religious intolerance at all, but that the congregation is simply using its "freedom of expression."

This is the face of the archdiocese of Puebla in 2012: Clerical fascism.

PRD's senate faction demands freedom for arrested Veracruz twitterers

The PRD's senate group demanded the immediate release of the two persons accused of terrorism ("causing panic") in Veracruz for publishing in their twitter account warnings of attacks by organized crime.

This is a truly horrid case, and it is nothing but shameful that governor Javier Duarte de Ochoa has not taken charge to shake up his state prosecutor's office. It is a yet another worrisome signal for 2012, and the PRI's likely return to the presidency.

Mexico's new secretaries

La Jornada has profiles on the new secretaries/minister of Calderón's government.

- Finance minister José Antonio Meade, taking over the post left by Ernesto Cordero as he pursues PAN's nomination for the presidency.
- Secretary of energy, Jordy Herrera Flores
- Secretary of health, Salomón Chertorivski Woldenberg
His goal is to complete Calderón's goal universal health coverage, which despite its deficiencies likely will stand as the major achievement of his administration.

Islamic terrorism threat in Mexico?

I found it really notable that outgoing head of the Mexican intelligence-counter espionage agency CISEN (created in the same year as CIA, whose function it resembles), Guillermo Valdés, who is being replaced by Alejandro Poiré, would say in his farewell statement that "we can not rule out the risk of an eventual presence of Islamic terrorism on our soil."

I cannot recall to ever have heard anything concrete regarding islamic terrorist threats in Mexico. If Valdés knows of something new, why did he not elaborate? And if there aren't any specific threats, why make this statement?

AMLO "accepts" Salinas debate

Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he accepted having a debate with Carlos Salinas, who notably challenged him to one a couple of days ago. Yet, there is a "but"... only if the "30 potentates" and  Enrique Peña Nieto appear for the debate as well.

Cocoa favors gay marriage - what would Felipe say?

Now this is interesting: President Felipe Calderón's sister Luisa María Calderón Hinojosa, or "Cocoa," who is now running to be governor of Michoacán, said she is not against gay marriages, as they "give certainty" to couples. How wonderfully refreshing from a PAN candidate - how far the party has seemingly come. Yet I wonder what her brother the president thinks of this social liberalism.

Salinas challenges AMLO to debate

I missed this part: Carlos Salinas yesterday invited Andrés Manuel López Obrador to a debate, to see which one has the best proposals. "He is going to lose," Salinas said.

Now that would be fun: An AMLO-Salinas debate! Since AMLO keep bringing up the "unnameable one" at every campaign stop, why not accept the challenge?

The absolute height of cynicism: Carlos Salinas brags of his narco policies

Appearing at a talk arranged by the association of Mexican opinion pollsters, former president Carlos Salinas managed to claim that under his administration, the big narco kingpins were arrested, and tons of cocaine confiscated.

Really? What about the explosion of the drug cartels' reach and power, essentially tolerated by the PRI regime, and the collusion of prominent priístas such as Carlos Salinas own brother (!) with the narcos?

This is truly the height of cynicism, even by standards of Mexican politics - at least so far this week...

... and AMLO dismisses the poll, predictable as the sun

Yesterday I suggested that AMLO would soon dismiss the notable poll that showed Ebrard ahead with 19 percentage points in support among the left constituency. To recall, it has been a constant in AMLO's political career to dismiss any poll not advantageous to him.

And of course it came: "It is promoted by the mafia of power."

Dirty dealings in Monterrey: PAN asks its own mayor to step down

PAN yesterday distanced itself from its fellow party member and mayor of Monterrey, Fernando Larrazabal, going so far as to ask him to step down, as well as Governor Rodrigo Medina de la Cruz, of PRI, if only temporarily, so as not to politicize the investigation of the Monterrey casino fire in particular, and the very dirty gambling industry in general, where Fernando's brother Jonas is intimately involved.

Associated Press also picked up the story.

New head of PAN's legislative bench: Francisco Ramírez Acuña

With Josefina Vázquez Mota leaving the Chamber of Deputies (on a "license," mind you - she can always return), PAN was in need of a new coordinator of its legislative group. Francisco Ramírez Acuña will be the one.

He is former governor of Jalisco (2001-2006), and was briefly minister of the interior in Calderón's cabinet.

Polls 2012: Marcelo Ebrard for first time polls higher than AMLO among left

Good news for Marcelo Ebrard: In a poll printed in Milenio today, the Mexico City mayor ranks above AMLO in the preferences of the left vote, meaning those of PRD-PT-Convergencia party preferences. And the difference is quite high - 53 to Ebrard, 34 percent for AMLO.

I expect AMLO to cry foul and dismiss it.

See graphic below from Milenio based on the GEA-ISA poll, which also shows the preferences of PRI and PAN backers.

More on resignation of Martí Batres

Batres had long used his portfolio as secretary of social development to build up support for his candidacy to be chief of government of Mexico city. Last week, he again criticized his boss Marcelo Ebrard for having shaken hands with Calderón, given that he in Batres' view is illegitimate - still sticking to the wholly unsubstantiated notion of a fraud in the 2006 presidential elections.

Be that as it may: This time Ebrard summoned Batres to his office, and asked him to renounce, which he refused to to. Then, in a quite public manner, Ebrard fired him, noting "everything has a limit, which is about congruence: one cannot be a secretary of the government and criticize the chief of government, as did Martí."

At 11 last night: "if he is not happy, and I told him, then he has nothing do to in the government." He literally signed the order to have Batres fired. I wonder if they escorted him out of the building, U.S. corporate firing-style.

Ebrard denied that this implied a break with Andrés Manuel López Obrador, given that Batres is close to Ebrard's predecessor.

New secretary of social development in Mexico City: Jesús Valdés Peña, until now undersecretary of citizen participation in GDF.

Another press conference will be held by Ebrard today at 11 a.m. Mexico city time.

Chapulines in the Mexican Senate

A full fifth all of senators elected in 2006 have been chapulines (a type of grasshopper that I once got really sick from eating in Oaxaca), meaning that they have left their senate seats to pursue even higher office, usually a governorship - 10 of them have been elected governors since 2006.  From El Universal.

I wonder what the equivalent figures are from e.g. the United States  and Argentina.

Martí Batres Guadarrama, AMLO loyalist, is out of Mexico City Government

I missed with 10 months - I first thought Ebrard would fire Martí Batres last October, when Ebrard relieved him of several important powers. Yet now finally Ebrard fired the man who has held what is in practice the second-most important position in the Mexico City government since 2006, and used it for all it is worth - the secretariat of social development.

More to come here, but note there is no "I renounce for personal reasons" schpiel - Ebrard told him to step down straight out.

Batres in my opinion represents the most "radical," anti-democratic, clientelist elements of the PRD, and he was widely considered an imposition by AMLO in Ebrard´s government. It is most natural that he should now leave the position - I am only surprised it did not happen sooner.

Peña Nieto's teleprompter

This info from Milenio, regading his last informe or State of the state, is just too good to let pass for those of us highly critical of the packaged media product that is Enrique Peña Nieto:

The speech was provided to the governor by three teleprompters visible to half the auditorium, with color difference in the letters, according to which intonation was needed. Even the most heartfelt messages to his wife and daughters were read directly from the screens. 

Peña Nieto's kind-of-informe: Direct response to Beltrones

How interesting. A couple of days ago, Senator Manlio Fabio Beltrones argued - and quite wisely so - that it would be a "danger" if the PRI returned to power in Mexico without  a clear project. It sounded like a stab at Peña Nieto - and at least that is how the outgoing governor saw it.

In yesterday´s speech for PRI and other elites, which was not technically his state of the state address (he handed that in writing to the state congress, Calderón-style), Peña Nieto appeared to directly respond to Beltrones when he said, "Let there be no confusion, Mexico does have a clear project,  is contained in its Constitution."

Merely playing to the gallery, or are tensions increasing Beltrones-Peña Nieto?

Christian Sánchez Venancio: The murder of a gay rights activist

Past July 22, Christian Sánchez Venancio, a member of the PRD an among the party's most profiled pro-gay rights advocates, was murdered in Mexico City, in what appears a possible hate crime and a brutal robbery: His apartment was sacked, and he was found with more than 100 stab wounds in his body, having put up a fight against his attackers.

Here is a most-recommended in-depth article from El Universal of what is truly a heart-wrenching story.

Mexico, now largest silver producer in world

Some interesting data on mining: Mexico surpassed Peru to now become the biggest silver producer in the world, with 1.88 million kilogram of silver churned out Jan-June 2011, much from the Fresnillo mine in Zacatecas, the world's largest. Other large operations are found in Chihuahua, Durango, and Sonora.

This January I happened to make a road trip that included Zacatecas and a visit to the now-defunct silver mine that sits literally right in the capital. It is funny how Mexico has now reclaimed its position as the top producer in the world.

One major difference Mexican and U.S. political campaigning: God

Here's one major difference in campaigning between U.S. politicians and Mexican, and entirely in Mexico's favor. From Milenio's interview with Silvano Aureoles Conejo, the left's candidate to be governor of Michoacán:

"Do you believe in god?
"Very little - I am not much of a believer."

That's it - no follow-up questions, no scandal, nothing. What a fresh breath compared to the constant  groveling to the religious camps in the United States - how often does it happen that a major candidate to a major state simply states that s/he is not religious? And more so, that the candidate is not attacked for this?

Colima: Rape victims allowed to have abortion

While good news, it leaves a very bitter taste that it took until 2011 for the state of Colima to allow abortions in the case of rape, following a vote in the state legislature where PAN deputies cowardly abstained.

Credit to PT's Olaf Presa Mendoza, who pushed the reform bill through.

Emilio Chuayffet new head of Chamber of Deputies

Emilio Chuayffet Chemor has been governor of Mexico State and interior secretary under Ernesto Zedillo. He is from yesterday as well President of the mesa ejecutiva or the Congress directorate.

While this important position corresponded to the PRD - the PRI reneged on an earlier agreement  (see background here and here) - the three main parties PRI, PAN, and  PRD will instead take turns the last year of this session, while PRD will head the coordinating junta.

A year ago, when a deal had been made that the PRD would preside both the junta and the directorate for the entire session, I wrote:

The coordinators of the parties in congress agreed to a deal where PRD will get to preside the two organs, though a special vote of 2/3 majority will be held where the stipulations of the Organic Law regulating Congress will simply be "set aside" for that year. PRD will simply have to take their word for it, that this will actually come to pass

And guess what happened? PRI reneged on this promise.

International heat on Humberto Moreira

Read this excellent article from the Associated Press - the Coahuila debt scandal and more is finally receiving the international attention it well deserves.

Michoacán gubernatorial election: It's on, officially.

This will be a most unique election: As Milenio notes, and I concur, there has probably never been a gubernatorial election that is divided so completely in three - for PAN, PRI, and PRD.
In Michoacán, everything seems at this point as a possibility.

The candidates started yesterday the official campaign, with three strong candidates: President Felipe Calderón's sister Luisa María Calderón Hinojosa; PRD Senator Silvano Aureoles Conejo, and four-time mayor of Morelia, Fausto Vallejo Figueroa.

From yesterday on, the state government (PRD) is not allowed to publicize any public works or propaganda, nor are state officials allowed to participate in any campaigns. One can only hope that the federal government, over which the state electoral institute has no jurisdiction, will do the same: I am not too optimistic, given all the "visits" of key cabinet officials as well as the president himself to Michoacán the past weeks.

Election Day is Nov. 13.

Manlio out: New head of Mexican senate is José González Morfín

It's in its last year - it was elected in 2006 - and Manlio Fabio Beltrones stepped down to be relieved by José González Morfín as probably the last head of this Mexican Senate.

Polls for Mexico City 2012 mayor

El Universal's poll for Mexico City mayor 2012 is out; the direct link to a high-res PDF is here.

So many names, so many combinations - and hell, the official campaign season is not already on. But the rub, to me at least: PRD still ahead in party preference, but with Beatriz Paredes Rangel as PRI's candidate, PRI leads Mexico City - this is an absolute first. I'll be an optimist and attribute that principally to name recognition.