According to Sergio Aguayo, presidente of Propuesta Cívica, co-responsible for arranging this weekend's vote:
* 250, 985 participated
* Of these, 198,217 voted in favor of a PRD-PAn electoral alliance, or close to 79 percent
* 43,008, or 17.2 percent, voted against
* 6,330, or 2.5 percent, voted "I Don't know"
* 3,358, or 1.34 percent, spoiled/invalidated their vote (intentionally or by mistake)
Sure, given Mexico's State population, it may not seem too impressive, but that a quarter of a million bothered to take time to vote in what is not even a party primary, but only a vote on electoral alliances, is still quite noteworthy.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Calderón offered Encinas PAN candidacy, AMLO claims
Yet another odd claim from AMLO: That President Felipe Calderón himself offered Alejandro Encinas to be the candidate of a PAN-PRD alliance. Asked where he got the information from, AMLO answered with the saying, "when I say that the donkey is brown, it's because I have its hairs in my hands," which I take to be, why even ask the question when it so obvious. Why indeed - who needs any substantial evidence when we have AMLO's word?
Pederast Jean Succar Kuri finally sentenced. When will his friend Mario Marín be arrested?
Jean Succar Kuri, a Mexican businessman of Lebanese origin, was convicted to 13 years in prison for pederasty. All nice and well. But when will authorities actually go after his friend and protector, former Puebla Governor Mario Marín? To recall: The scandal that nearly let to Marin's ouster in 2006-2007 involved exactly these very two individuals: Marín and a close associate of Succar, Kamel Nacif, was heard chatting in overtly friendly tones (the famous phrase "Gober Precioso"), and plotting how to harass journalist Lydia Cacho, who was on the trail of Cancún-based pederasts with close connection to the Puebla government.
If new Puebla Governor Rafael Moreno Valle truly wants to be a governor of "change," he should immediately launch investigations of Succar's connections to Marin and his Puebla dynasty. One may only hope that the former's conviction creates some momentum here.
If new Puebla Governor Rafael Moreno Valle truly wants to be a governor of "change," he should immediately launch investigations of Succar's connections to Marin and his Puebla dynasty. One may only hope that the former's conviction creates some momentum here.
The perverse practices of "notarized promises"
I recall Gancho has railed against this in the past, and I can only wholeheartedly concur and repeat criticism against the practice of particularly PRI candidates to sign a range of "promises" during political campaigns, and then to have them physically notarized (!). It is utterly ridiculous first and foremost because these "promises," which in the case of Mexico State and Enrique Peña Nieto reached a number of around six hundred or so, tend to be very minor and encompass only a fraction of total budget expenses.
But even more so, it is a remarkable self-admission on part of the politicians: I need to sign these campaign promises with a notary, because you really can't trust me on my word. And to add: How on earth would anyone be actually sanctioned for breaking these promises? A fine? Prison? Public shaming? Why bother to sign at all?
Yet true to form, PRI's candidate-by-designation to be Mexico State governor, Eruviel Ávila, just promised that he would do the very same thing - and that the number of promises, mind you, would even surpass his predecessor's 600. Thank goodness, now we now he is really serious!
But even more so, it is a remarkable self-admission on part of the politicians: I need to sign these campaign promises with a notary, because you really can't trust me on my word. And to add: How on earth would anyone be actually sanctioned for breaking these promises? A fine? Prison? Public shaming? Why bother to sign at all?
Yet true to form, PRI's candidate-by-designation to be Mexico State governor, Eruviel Ávila, just promised that he would do the very same thing - and that the number of promises, mind you, would even surpass his predecessor's 600. Thank goodness, now we now he is really serious!
Whatever happened to primaries? The dedazo alive and well, and not only within PRI
The charade witnessed this weekend, when rather than actually running in any kind of primary or internal party vote, Eruviel Ávila was simply "declared" the PRI's candidate in Mexico State, was hardly just a one-time throwback to PRI's infamous dedazo process, where the outgoing governor/president/etc would simply designate his next successor as the designate of the party. In Nayarit, the exact same thing happened: Here, Roberto Sandoval Castañeda, mayor of the capital Roberto Sandoval Castañeda, was yesterday pronounced a "candidate of unity" by the PRI to be the next governor of the state.
Yet this is hardly limited to the PRI: As columist Denise Maerker pointed out in today's El Universal, PAN, in declaring that its candidate for Mexico State governor, alliance with PRD or no alliance, would be Luis Felipe Bravo Mena, is replicating the very practice.
And lest we forget: The backers of Alejandro Encinas in the PRD are calling for the very same thing, to simply drop any internal process due to prominent advantages of Encinas - poll numbers, name recognition etc. Now, Encinas may very well be the "natural" candidate of the PRD, and the only one with a minimal chance of winning the Mexico State election. Yet for the PRD's sake - a party for whom democratization has been the emblem since its inception - I truly hope the party will not fall into the temptation of simply dropping the primary or any semblance of open selection process, and in turn simply declare Encinas its "unity candidate" as well. If it does, it will truly add to the old saying that in Mexico, everyone carries a little priista inside of them.
Yet this is hardly limited to the PRI: As columist Denise Maerker pointed out in today's El Universal, PAN, in declaring that its candidate for Mexico State governor, alliance with PRD or no alliance, would be Luis Felipe Bravo Mena, is replicating the very practice.
And lest we forget: The backers of Alejandro Encinas in the PRD are calling for the very same thing, to simply drop any internal process due to prominent advantages of Encinas - poll numbers, name recognition etc. Now, Encinas may very well be the "natural" candidate of the PRD, and the only one with a minimal chance of winning the Mexico State election. Yet for the PRD's sake - a party for whom democratization has been the emblem since its inception - I truly hope the party will not fall into the temptation of simply dropping the primary or any semblance of open selection process, and in turn simply declare Encinas its "unity candidate" as well. If it does, it will truly add to the old saying that in Mexico, everyone carries a little priista inside of them.
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