Friday, September 23, 2011

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.