Mario Vargas Llosa's famous description of the PRI as a "perfect dictatorship" live on Televisa in 1990 - which led to the immediate end of his visit to Mexico and the great embarrassment of the authoritarian regime, has now been followed by a sequel, of sorts:
The Peruvian writer warned recently that Calderón's offensive against the narcos has failed, and that it may lead to the return of the "detested and detestable PRI."
The statement has, of course, not fallen well with the PRI. One measured response came from presidential hopeful (of sorts) Manlio Fabio Beltrones, who said Varga Llhosa doesn't know Mexico, and hadn't been too successful as a politician himself. Ouch. Senator Francisco Arroyo for his part dismissed the writer as an "old man of the Right."
PRI's Political Council (equivalent of party congress) is currently meeting, and doing everything possible to give the impression of unity - including the obligatory Beltrones-Peña Nieto handshake-hug.
The Council also notably decided that PRI´s 2012 presidential candidate will be decided in an open primary.
