Remarkable column on Juan Sandoval Iñiguez

Columnist and journalist Carlos Marín usually points his guns at the left. Not this time: His column "A conspirator hangs up his sandals" on Juan Sandoval Iñiguez, the disgraced soon-to-be ex cardinal of Guadalajara, is a heavy barrage of fire against Sandoval's legacy ("No matter how obvious his slanders, the Cardinal leaves impunity."

It really is worth reading in its entirety here.

18 disgraceful years of Sandoval Íñiguez come to end

He did a disservice to Mexicans through spewing hatred against women, gays, political parties, and Mexican political institutions. He did a disservice to Roman Catholicism, his religion, by acting as a caricature of so many of the evils the church has been criticized for: intolerance, narrow mindedness, misogyny, homophobia, downright authoritarianism, and so much more.

This weekend, Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iñiguez of Guadalaja held his last mass. He will be officially replaced by José Francisco Robles Ortega in a week.

To this protector of pedophiles and belittler of rape ("the women provoked them"):
Good riddance, and I hope we will never hear from you for the rest of your life.

More posts here.

AMLO and PRD walking the walk on unity

It may be merely a facade, and a temporary one at that, but it nonetheless does raise an eyebrow to see this picture:

Milenio

That is AMLO with PRD President Jesús Zambrano, appearing together for a campaign event in Caborca, Sonora. It is remarkable, given the long animosity between AMLO and Zambrano's social-democratic party faction in the PRD, Nueva Izquierda. When it comes to AMLO's talk of a "loving republic," he seems to be not just talking the talk. If only for appearances, that's at least something.

(For the campaign events, AMLO also drew in two popular athletes, cyclist Ana Gabriela Guevar and boxer Hernán "Tyson" Márquez.)

Oscar-nominated movie on immigrants: A Better Life

In case you have not seen A Better Life, I strongly recommend that you do.

The movie on the plight of a Mexican (or any) immigrant in the US even had its lead actor, Demián Bichir, nominated for the Oscar, for Best Actor.

Bichir's performance is quite amazing, though he will have to fight off George Clooney in "The Descendants", Jean Dujardin in "The Artist", Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and Brad Pitt in "Moneyball" for the nomination.

I truly hope he wins, for many reasons - my main being political, as it will draw further attention to a movie that does a fantastic job in portraying undocumented immigrants' situation in the US without resorting to cliches or any cheap short cuts.

I finally got a chance to see  A Better Life, and hope you do as well. It truly deserves wide dissemination.

AMLO vs. Javier Sicilia

AMLO criticized Javier Sicilia's announcement that he would spoil his vote in the coming elections, stating that by doing so, Sicilia is "playing the game of the rightwing."

Beyond AMLO's obvious self interest - he is, after all, running as a candidate in 2012 - I fully agree with his point: Spoiling the battle will not do the least service to Mexico's progressive forces, quite the contrary, just like the foolish 2009 "voto nulo" campaign achieved absolutely nothing but effectively handing over more votes to the PRI. 

Sicilia is in every right to spoil his ballot, and call upon others to do the same. 

We are also all in our right to denounce this as reckless stupidity.

Now have you seen this man? Puebla functionary flees justice

Javier García Ramírez, a government secretary in the 2005-11 government of Mario Marín in Puebla, is now as well wanted by the Mexican police and Interpol, as he has likely fled the country. Here's a picture of the man:

http://www.contraparteinformativa.com

He is the second functionary sought arrested this year from the government of  Marín, a protector of pedophiles and rapists. García is accused of having ratted away at least 23 million pesos.

Here's another picture, of his car park, which was just confiscated: A Range Rover, a BMW X6, a Chevrolet Suburban, Audi 5 series, and a VW Touareg. Pretty nice sets of wheels for a state functionary, wouldn't one think?

El Universal

The spectacular fall of PRI in Mexico City

Ciro Gómez Leyva's column is following up on some very interesting polling in Mexico City: Just a couple of months ago, PRI's Beatriz Paredes Rangel was number one in the polls to be the next mayor of Mexico City, and in the process expected to pull a lot of votes for Enrique Peña Nieto as well.

Yet due to various factors - some extremely ugly infighting and fighting (literally) in the Mexico City PRI, which has some of the worst scoundrels in Mexican politics in its ranks, the ability of the left to pull together and present a great candidate, etc - PRI is plummeting again in Mexico City.

A recent poll gives Mancera 43, with only 16 percent (!) for Paredes. This is quite spectacular, and as Gómez Leyva points out, very, very bad news for PRI and Peña Nieto.

Have you seen this man? Interpol would like to know

Vanguardia

Yes, that's Miguel Moisés Sacal Smeke, the businessman who likes to beat the hell out his employees and shout pinche indio! at them.

He is now wanted by the Interpol, having seemingly fled Mexico. Readers in Miami, FLA should be on the lookout.

Barrales: Make a fuss, and ye shall receive

Here is an example of a practice I abhor but that seems to be ever more utilized these days:

Alejandra Barrales was just presented as a senator candidate for the left for Mexico City, by Marcelo Ebrard himself. Independent of Barrales' qualifications, this leaves me with a bad taste in the mouth.

Why? Because this is simply rewarding Barrales for not having been a democrat and accepted her loss in the poll that decided the left's mayor candidate for Mexico city 2012. She clearly, utterly lost the poll, but threw a fit about it, and according to some rumors even threatened a separate run on the PANAL label, refusing to accept the validity of the poll and insinuating, without offering any shred of evidence, that she was the victim of foul play. To make her shut up and prevent a break on the left, it now appears, she was simply awarded a senate seat - which I am far from certain she is particularly well prepared for.

In short: It pays to act not only like a stubborn child but even anti democratically and refuse to accept your loss, because the further you push your protests, the more likely it is you will be rewarded with a consolation price.

This is truly a logic of diminishing returns for political parties, as it will only encourage similar behavior in the future.

How many children does Peña Nieto really have?

According to him, six - with various women, to be sure.

Yet from today's Reforma

Maritza Díaz Hernández, mother of one of Enrique Peña's children, accused the PRI presidential candidate on her Facebook page of lying about the support he gives to his son, and about the number of children they have procreated.

"You should think about the fact that the presidency only lasts six years, while your children are forever, and you are leaving marks with all that you do and say. You do not fool them; they know and realize many things, even if you go out and say something else."

Juicy!

Phone taps of Mexican congressional leadership?

A story broke this morning that PRD leadership in chamber of deputies - which, by rotation, also hold the key leaderships post in the chamber (Guadalupe Acosta Naranjo, the Mesa Directiva, and Armando Ríos Píter, the Junta de Coordinación Política) - had their phones tapped.

Senator Carlos Navarrete asked for a search in the Senate as well

PRI, which also apparent was targeted, called it a "dirty war" from government of Calderón.

I wonder what will come out of this one.

More class warfare... this time José Ismael Loría Ancona

Another "Gentleman de las Lomas" incident of pure class hatred from the very wealthy in Mexico, this time the former state sports secretary in Quintana Roo, José Ismael Loría Ancona, who drove his car into a tree dead drunk, and with his sister proceeded to curse out the police, threaten them, and try to bribe them. Rather than try to translate the insults, here they are in pure undestilled  form:

To the police:

"Te crees muy chingón no, muy culito, pinche muerto de hambre cabrón"
“Tu seguridad pendeja me pararon, yo les dije tranquilos déjenme ir, les doy una lana, lo que quieran”
"..no sabes con quién trato."..
"si me meten en el bote no hay pedo, mañana salgo, pinche gente no tienen ni la secundaria"

And from his sister, to the police with love:

 "Ahora sí se los carga su puta madre cabrones!"

Wow.

Gay rights: Supreme Court tells Jalisco and BC off

The ultra-reactionary neo-falangist governments of Baja California and Jalisco, still stuck in a pre-enlightenment time warp, are not happy harrassing women and gays in their own states: They even took the gay unions and adoptions in Mexico City to the Supreme Court, so offended were they over this rampant threat to their families.

Now the Supreme Court essentially ruled, what happens in Mexico City is absolutely none of their concern, and it is certainly not "unconstitutional." 'Nuff said? Wouldn't count on it.

An apt metaphor for the PRI

A story from PRI presidential candidate Enrique Peña's campaign stop in Queretaro:
(where the front runner appeared remarkably out of sync; while his party insisted that it broke with teacher union despot Elba Esther Gordillo, he maintained that it was her party PANAL that did so).

Regardless. From the campaign event:

... close to 20 supporters of the candidate denounced that they had been robbed. ..... before entering the auditorium Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez, security personnel  prevented them from entering with bulky backpacks or bags in which the victims kept wallets, clothes, keys and cell phones. But after the event, they approached the guards to have their belongings returned, but were told that there were no objects left to return.

How suitable.

Quote of the day: Teacher union leader Gordillo

Ultra-corrupt notorious head of Mexico's teacher union SNTE, Elba Esther Gordillo, after failing to make the new PRI leadership agree to place her ultra-incompetent son-in-law and daughter as senate candidates, which lead the PRI and her party PANAL to break their alliance:

"Well, then let everything go to fucking hell."

May it, indeed.

AMLO announced another "cabinet position"

If elected, AMLO will appoint Adolfo Hellmund López as his energy secretary. Yet another nod to the Monterrey business group: Hellmund is a businesman with a Master's from MIT.

I wonder what his North Korea-praising allies in the PT think of this choice.

Moments in poor photo shopping exposed - check out on youtube

This is almost worthy of Stalin's photo shopping himself in (and Trotsky out of) old Russian photos:

Look at this quick video.

Yes, that is Marco Antonio Morales Liévano, a nephew of Elba Esther Gordillo, seemingly photoshopping himself into a picture next to PRI presidential candidate Enrique Peña Nieto, in order to boost his chances of winning the nomination for PRI candidate for mayor of Comitán, Chiapas.

Would you want this guy to be your mayor?

The original picture from El Universal

Political drama: Break PRI-Gordillo

Front page in all main Mexican newspapers: PRI president Pedro Joaquín Coldwell announced the PRI's electoral alliance with PANAL is over.

This is very dramatic political news: It has been known for a while that grassroots discontent in PRI surged given the extremely generous terms in favor of PANAL, the party controlled by teacher union head Elba Esther Gordillo, and the PVEM, the misnamed "Green party." As for the latter, there was much criticism of the blatant nepotism from Gordillo, who wanted both her daughter and son-in-law as candidates for the senate- as well as a disproportionate number of other senate and legislative seats.

Yet crucially, as far as I can see, this means that any alliance for a common candidate for presidential election - that Gordillo would back Peña Nieto - is also over.

Coldwell, who confirmed the alliance with the PVEM (for now?), said of Gordillo and PANAL: "It is not a rupture, it is an amicable separation." That is simply not true: This is a huge political rupture.

Just a few days ago, we also learned that PRI Chiapas Senator María Elena Orantes López renounced from the PRI, after weeks of wavering, wreaking havoc on the local as well as the national party organization.

I can't wait to learn more about the background for this. Did Gordillo get a better offer from PAN? Did she push it simply too far, and PRI realized her support just cost it too much?

But the good news is, from my point of view: The 2012 race just got a lot more competitive. A lot.

Assault on Abortion rights in Mexico - The Nation

A belated mention of an article I highly recommend, from The Nation and written by Mary Cuddehe:
"Mexico's Anti-Abortion Backlash."

Rosario. She was 20 and had recently completed a nine-month probation sentence. Her story was shocking to me at the time. She had taken abortion pills, fallen ill with nausea, gone to the hospital and been reported to the police. She said the staff had mistreated her, calling her names, completing the abortion surgically without anesthesia (which is standard) and allowing medical students into the room to take pictures with their cellphones..

More than half of Mexico's states, mostly in PRI-PAN legislative alliances, have passed a ley aborto equivalent to the wacko "life at conception" laws recently defeated in the state of Mississippi. The article in particular highlights the state persecution of citizens in run by one of the most reactionary and ultra-right sections of the PAN political elite. Keep in mind, however, that most of the extremist legislation passed when alleged "progressive" Beatriz Paredes was PRI's national leader. She may well hold progressive views, but did not lift a finger to stop her party, traditionally quite secular, from allying with the traditionally pro catholic PAN.

... In 2009 in the southern state of Quintana Roo, a Mayan woman was wrongfully jailed for what turned out to be a spontaneous miscarriage, and in 2010 an 11-year-old girl who was raped and impregnated by her stepfather was denied an abortion because she was four months pregnant—one month past the allowable twelve weeks. 

 Read this excellent and harrowing investigative piece of original reporting here.

Results of the poll that made Mancera candidate: Graphic

From Milenio: Notable is that Mancera is also ahead of PRI's Beatriz Paredes with upwards of 20 percent.

Watch live: Winner of poll to be left's Mexico City mayor candidate

Here's the live stream. Everything indicates it will be Miguel Mancera, after Alejandra Barrales cancelled her appearance and claimed "irregularities" in the poll to decide the left's candidate for Mexico city mayor 2012.

Two new political biographies: Marcelo Ebrard and Carlos Navarrete

Books in Mexico are indeed expensive, and not only in relative terms, but also in absolute terms: A thing paperback will easily go for 20-25 dollars, with much left wanting in terms of editing and organization. That does not stop me from spending way too much money on books on Mexican politics.

Two news ones I just went through: A biography of Marcelo Ebrard, and an auto-biography of Carlos Navarrete. The former I do not recommend; the latter I do.

The book by Alejandro Páez Varela on Marcelo Ebrard is not really that bad, and does offer some new insights on Ebrard, especially his trajectory in the 1990s. I did not know, for instance, that he went with Cárdenas in 1988, even if he stayed in the PRI, and the book also reminded he that he was an outspoken opponent of the FOBAPROA bank bailout in the late 1990s - something that likely endeared him to AMLO.

But the problem is this: There are too few sources, and the books is simply too thin, with large font, and virtually the entire book is printed elsewhere! That's right, as a chapter in the excellent edited volume Los Suspirantes by Jorge Zepeda Patterson, by the same editorial. Rip-off alert, indeed - and the chapter in Zepada's book is even better, as it has removed some unnecessary self-promotion by Páez' own projects. One additional weakness is that in the book, Páez lets his interview subjects simply talk, and presents their criticism of Ebrard (or praise) uncontested - there is little analysis and attempts to actually confront what they are saying, or corroborate their claims.

The second books is bye Senator Carlos Navarrete of the PRD, entitled De Frente. It is also pretty thin and clearly written with Navarrete's failed bid to be the lefts candidate for Mexico City in mind, but it is nonetheless a highly enjoyable read of Navarrete's political life, and includes some very interesting material on the Mexican left and the PRD. Did you know, for instance, that the PRD's parliamentary coordinator, ahead of Calderón's acceptance speech-ceremony in the Chamber of Deputies, which the PRD sought to block, had to make a last-minute desperate search to locate tear-gas granadesthat some deputies were planning to hurl during the ceremony (with likely injury and loss of life)? The coordinator, Javier González, successfully located the grenades, and stored them in his own car outside of congress...

There's also much more good recent material here, such as the 2008 oil reform of PEMEX, and AMLO's ridiculous blocking of a reform that his own advisers had largely drafted. Go and read it.

Ebrard, mano dura

Marcelo Ebrard is capable of showing quite a bit of resolve when needed: As we wait for the three polls that  will decide the left's candidate for mayor of Mexico City, Ebrard had forbidden any member of his government to make any declarations in favor or against any candidate, so as not to risk a fracture on the left.

It seems Tourism Minister Alejandro Rojas couldn't keep his mouth shut - he stupidly proclaimed that Miguel Mancera would be the candidate - and Ebrard promptly fired him.

Now that's what I call mano dura. Yet the damage may already be done: It may not be enough to keep Alejandra Barrales from expanding her protests, and possibly fracture the left.

AMLO names minister of economy

Yet another name for a possible AMLO cabinet: He recently announced as, should he win in 2012,  his future  minister of the economy, Fernando Turner Dávila, a Nuevo León businessman who is head of ANEI, the national association of independent businessmen (Asociación Nacional de Empresarios Independientes).

Deadline passes, five millions did not renew IFE credentials

Long lines formed the past days outside IFE centers due to a Jan. 15 deadline to renew voter credentials  for those whose cards ended in 2003. Unless they did so, they will not be able to vote in the 2012 election.

There is some cause to worry here: Around 5 million people registered did not do so, a very big chunk of the electorate. IFE, which refused to extend the deadline (citing, correctly, previously agreed law), insisted that "60 percent" of these have left the country, and a further "25 percent" are deceased. Even if true, that would still leave 600,000 or so unable to vote in 2012.

Peña Nieto as Putin?

Here's a column by Jorge Zepada in English for the Financial Times that is well worth the read:

The result of the 2012 elections will push one way or the other. If the PRI wins with such a big margin that it ends up controlling Congress, the temptation for Peña Nieto to become a Mexican Putin will be immense. The public’s yearning for a crack-down on organised crime will only encourage him further. The deterioration of the security situation in Mexico is a tailor-made alibi for an authoritarian government and a big win would look like a blank cheque sent directly from the people.

Read the column here.

(I am currently working on his excellent edited volume "Los Suspirantes 2012," on the 2012 candidates - more on that book later).

Mexico vs. Brazil, perceptions and reality

Jorge Castañeda has a quite thoughtful comparison on Mexico and Brazil in Reforma that is well worth the read (Reforma is subscriber only, but the article is also available here.)

Another Mario Marín ex-functionary arrested in Puebla

Authorities in Puebla arrested Alfredo Arango García, who was secretary of health in the terrible 2005-11 administration of child rapist-protector and misogynist Mario Marín Torres, on corruption charges.

Will Marín ever share the same fate? I keep on dreaming.

Javier Sicilia won't run for congress, despite offer

Javier Sicilia and Julián Le Baron, prominent social activists, won't run for the Mexican congress in 2012, despite being offered candidacies by the left's Movimiento Progresista.

Too bad - it would have allowed them a much bigger forum and wider audience for their anti-violence message.

Mexico's rank of "economic freedom": 54/179

The conservative Heritage Foundation is out with a new ranking of "economic freedom." Mexico scores 54 out of 179; the "top" Latin American country is, not unexpectedly, Chile, on 8th place - two places ahead of the United States.

No. 1 is Hong Kong.

Take the report for what it is worth, from a far-right outfit: Among the indicators are "Labor Freedom," which does not refer to the ease and freedom of forming and joining unions and their rights, but rather, from the business point of view, freedom from unions.

PEMEX workers for Peña Nieto

Hardly a surprise given its forever-PRI ties, the union of PEMEX workers (STPRM) declared its "total backing" of PRI presidential candidate  Enrique Peña Nieto. Will they engage, like they did in 2000, in another blatantly illegal funding of the PRI presidency?

Notably, in the audience was union leader Carlos Romero Deschamp and Ricardo Aldana Prieto, two of the main protagonists of "Pemexgate," where it was discovered in 20002 that  the state-owned petroleum company siphoned off half a billion pesos to the PRI's 2000 campaign, and was fined a billion pesos for it.

Romero, for his part, lost his "political rights in a corruption conviction after the scandal that barred him from holding political office until last year.

Yet here he is again in the public limelight, with Peña Nieto, who despite claiming to represent a "New PRI" again and again l(literally) throws himself in the arms of its most retrograde parts.

From Milenio

Graphic: Violence in greater Mexico City area

A very useful graphic from El Universal: Murders in Mexico City and Mexico State. While murders increased 3.3 percent in the former, it jumped 17.8 in the latter, run then by presidential candidate Enrique Peña Nieto of the PRI. The worst areas: Ecatepec and Neza.

Peña Nieto's campaign team: Graphic

An overview of Enrique Peña Nieto's campaign team, from Milenio: It has been clinically cleansed of the most polemical of PRI's figures, such as Mario Marin and Ulises Ruiz. Indeed, he just recently stressed that the presence of these criminal thugs in his campaign rallies were really only due to "institutional respect." As if that makes it any better.

In defense of Calderón: On Joaquin Villalobos

I read a while back Joaquin Villalobos' defense of the Calderón administration's handling of the war-or-not-war against the Mexican drug gangs in Nexos a while back, and found it remarkably tone deaf.

Here's an excellent piece from Insight Crime that directly takes on Villalobos' article.

Sister of Subcomandante Marcos: Peña Nieto campaign coordinator

Oh, the irony. Paloma Guillén, sister of Rafael Sebastián Guillén Vicente, better known as Subcomandante Marcos of the EZLN, will be campaign coordinator for Enrique Peña Nieto in one of Mexico's electoral circumscriptions, according to the political gossip column in Milenio.

She is currently a federal deputy from Tamaulipas.

Stunning PAN dedazo in Mexico City: Wallace mayor candidate

The executive committee of PAN decided that its candidate for Mexico City mayor will be Isabel Miranda de Wallace, who became a social activist when her son, a businessman, was kidnapped and murdered in 2005. She successfully pushed for a change to federal law to further protect victims of kidnapping.

Just a few weeks ago, PAN vowed that it would choose its candidate in a primary. This vulgar dedazo makes the PRD's method of choosing its candidate-by-poll in Mexico City nearly a civic exercise in comparison.

Senator Carlos Navarrete declines - and backs Barrales

It was not a big surprise that PRD Senator Carlos Navarrete declined from the contest to be the left's mayoral candidate for Mexico City - despite heavy campaigning he simply was not rising in the polls - but what does surprise me is that Navarrete declined in favor of Alejandra Barrales. Given Navarrete's not inconsiderable political capital, that means that Miguel Mancera will face a stronger challenge to defeat Barrales for the nomination.

Class hatred in Mexico gets international attention

Thanks to Tim Johnson who first brought this disturbing case to my attention:

The beating of a valet parking attendant by a wealthy resident of the Lomas neighborhood is now getting international attention, from The Guardian:

A video of a businessman assaulting a car park employee has added to mounting pressure within Mexico to confront pervasive class-based and racist abuse.The footage shows Miguel Sacal in the lobby of his apartment building in Mexico City repeatedly punching and kicking an employee, Hugo Vega, who does not defend himself. Subtitles, added to the soundless video, claim the attack was triggered by Vega's refusal to leave his duties at the counter to attend to a flat tyre on Sacal's Porsche.At one point Vega's colleagues halt the violence. Sacal is seen standing over his crouching victim and, according to the subtitles, says "fucking Indians" before kicking him again.

There is nothing new in the class hatred and racism many members of Mexico's upper class feel for their countrymen; what is different now is that thanks to Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, such disturbing acts have recently gone viral for the general public to behold.

A great read on Michoacán from UpsideDownWorld

I recommend UpsideDownWorlds's article  The Michoacán Debacle: Fault Lines Ahead of the Mexican Presidential Election by Paul Imison.

I don't necessarily agree with the implied assumption that Cherán's ditching of democratic elections in favor of the usus y costumbres mechanism may be a viable example to follow, but it is in any case a highly informed read on this beautiful, harrowed state.

Peña Nieto appears with a protector of child rapists: The new PRI?

This is thoroughly disturbing: PRI's presidential candidate Enrique Peña Nieto recently met with Mario Marín and his team; the disgraced  former Puebla governor even appeared in public in a rally yesterday in Puebla where Peña Nieto was speaking, although they carefully avoided a photo of the two together.

To refresh the memory of those who may have forgotten Mario Marín: This is a a man who was caught on tape plotting with now-imprisoned child rapist Jean Succar Kuri to harass and sexually assault Lydia Cacho, an intrepid journalist investigating child abuse scandals.

To Peña Nieto's disgrace, this is hardly the first time he meets with Marin, representative of the absolute worst of the PRI. Marin should the thrown in jail, not coveted by a man likely to be Mexico's new president.

A couple of few earlier posts:
Pederast Jean Succar Kuri finally sentenced. When will his friend Mario Marín be arrested?
"Goodbye, precious pederast": Puebla sends off Mario Marín

Guess what Gaddafi and AMLO had in common?

The answer is: Female bodyguards.

I've been on 5-6 AMLO meetings the past years and I've always noted now little security apparently surrounded him. For instance, one evening I was outside the PRD's national headquarters waiting for a ride and all of a sudden AMLO just walked up, alone. In my surprise I didn't get a chance to say or ask much beyond a a few pleasantries. No body guards in sights.

Here's a fascinating story from today's Milenio that addressed exactly the issue of AMLO's security. Turns out that Polimnia Romana Sierra, a personal assistant of sorts, has also been much in charge of protecting him wherever he has gone the past years (which are many places - he has toured every single municipality in Mexico at least twice now, unlike any other human being in Mexican history).

Polimnia offers quite a few interesting anecdotes. Did you know that he never sleeps in the hotel room assigned to him? Read more here.

"Focos rojos" or danger zones for 2012 local elections

A story from El Universal, with an accompanying graphic (click here for hi-resolution PDF) on municipalities particularly in the states of Guerrero, Colima, Jalisco, Sonora, Tabasco that are considered focos rojos given the level of violence and presence of organized crime.

El Universal

Miguel Mancera: Background information

Here's an article from Milenio that gives some background information on Miguel Ángel Mancera Espinosa, who is very likely to become the left's 2012 mayoral candidate for Mexico City, and quite likely to win that election.

One fun fact: Why did he take a law degree (he excelled at school), when he was already a  medicine student?
A traffic accident where he got hurt and thoroughly screwed over - he was made to sign, half-conscious, a waiver where the rich kid whose Mustang ran into his VW Beatle was released from any responsibility.

Guerrero: First stage of human rights investigation

Mexico's national human rights commission (Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos, CNDH) published its first and preliminary report on the killing of two students and an employee in Guerrero past December 12.

The report first and foremost strongly criticizes the police for having brought and used heavy weapons to the student protest in the first place, and suggests that its final report is likely to show state police as responsible for firing the lethal shots.

Yet Raúl Plascencia Villanueva, head of the commission, notably also criticized the students and said their actions as well would be investigated - they have repeatedly stolen vehicles, blocked the Autopista del Sol demanding "contributions" from drivers, and most notoriously, threw Molotov cocktails on a PEMEX gas station which resulted in the death of an employee.

Most recently, students from Ayotzinapa took over 19 buses, threw out the passengers, and drove to Mexico City where they protested outside the Chamber of Deputies. Earlier they broke into four radio stations in Guerrero to broadcast their protests and demand information on the investigations. They then again blocked the Autopista.

These acts may increasingly be counter productive, as there are indications the Guerrero population is getting weary of their ways of protesting: At several occasions the past days, there have been marches in Guerrero protesting their actions, and backing the Guerrero governor.

As one of the students declared during the taking of the radio stations:

It is true that some sectors of society have asked us to change the methods of struggle. We agree, but what we will do this when there is no longer corruption in the political parties, be it the PRI, PAN and PRD.

Institutional change on state levels: 4-year mayor terms in Veracruz

With the Political Reform by Calderón stuck in Congress and unlikely to be dealt with before the 2012 elections, it is of interest to note some institutional change on the state levels, as in the case of Veracruz.

Many reform initiatives have proposed reelection of legislators and mayors, at federal and state levels, yet have invariably met the wall, under the exaggerated mantra of "no reelection!" (which referred to the quarter-century presidency dictator Porfirio Díaz and had nothing to do with legislators or mayors).

In Veracruz, however, the state congress, following its backing by a majority of the state's municipalities, recently declared as legal a reform that extends the mayoral term to four years. I don't think that is a bad initiative at all. On the top of my head I can't think of any other state that has implemented similar changes to the state constitution, but I might be wrong here. Could state governments similarly change the state laws to allow for reelection of local deputies and mayors, or do any federal laws prohibit such initiatives? Far too early to tell whether this particular initiative, long in planning, represents something new - state-level initiatives as responds to failure at passing significant reforms at the federal level - but the initiative is interesting nonetheless.

Fun fact check of AMLO

Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) said that he is not an enemy of private investment, and that he has not ever called businessmen "white collar criminals." He went as far as to say that he never used the phrase, and would even resign as presidential candidate if it were ever proven that he had uttered these words.

Yes, step down from the presidential contest.

La Jornada, Michoacán edition, June 27, 2006:

"No son empresarios, son traficantes de influencias los que están impulsando esa campaña, nada más que no tiene ni caso mencionarlos, son los que han hecho jugosos negocios, son delincuentes de cuello blanco, traficantes de influencias, los que no quieren que las cosas cambien verdaderamente en nuestro país."

So...

PRI appoints Aristóteles Sandoval as Jalisco governor candidate

In a meeting of its national committee, the PRI, through its old-style mechanism of the dedazo, simply appointed Jorge Aristóteles Sandoval Díaz as its candidate to be governor of Jalisco. Why bother with primaries?

Sandoval is currently the PRI mayor of Guadalajara, and despite the state being a PAN stronghold, does stand a real chance of winning Jalisco.

Zedllo, accused of murder, claims immunity

Former President Ernesto Zedillo, facing a lawsuit in Hartford, Connecticut for the 1997 Acteal massacre in Chiapas, claims immunity from persecution as a former head of state.

The Acteal massacre was the worst singular violent act during his presidency - 45 civilians, including infants, were murdered by death squads. The indigenous were accused of backing the EZLN insurgency by a PRI-linked paramilitary group.

From what I gather, there is absolutely no evidence it was sanctioned by the national government, which, however, was strongly criticized for doing nothing while the massacre took place, and little to punish the perpetrators.

Mario Delgado steps down from Mexico City mayor contest

Long regarded the dauphin of Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, education secretary Mario Delgado nonetheless stepped down from the contest yesterday, having failed to gain much traction, and in doing so, clearing the path further for Miguel Mancera, the city's popular attorney general-procurator.

I am currently in Mexico City and can't help but note how electoral law is being quite shamelessly flouted by pretty much every one of the many candidates to be the left's mayor, in spirit at the very least. It is unfortunately quite understandable, as the left coalition will decide its candidate by a poll - which is to a large extent about name recognition for many at this stage. What better way to get your name known than plastering your posters all over the city, "giving" interviews that will get you on the front cover of news magazines, or holding well-publicized informes or speeches on the results of your (secretariat, legislative, etc) work.

Also, a lot of exhortations to denounce illegal behavior of all sorts to "www.tuprocu.mx" or "your attorney general." Sure, it's a great idea to bring the office and services of the city's attorney general closer to the people; it is also an excellent way to publicize what you do.

Count on Mancera snapping the nomination, and to likely be the mayor of Mexico City 2012-2018.

Update: Mancera stepped down from the government to pursue the candidacy.

Gubernatorial elections in 2012

It's not only about electing Mexico's next president for six years on July 1, 2012: In addition, there are gubernatorial elections in the following states:

* Jalisco (PAN)
* Guanajuato (PAN)
* Morelos (PAN)
* Chiapas (PRD coalition)
* Tabasco (PRI)
* Yucatán (PRI)

And, of course, mayor of Mexico City - as close to a governor as one can get, until the Federal District gets its own constitution.

Here's a great rundown of the various hopefuls for the offices from the respective parties.

Come on baby, do the Morena

AMLO's campaign tune, so to speak: "Morena." It's heard everywhere on the campaign trail, and it's a quite catchy cumbia-esque ditty, with a semi-professional video production - and it gets, I'd venture to say, its points across. And yes, there is a beautiful morena in the video, with quite a low-cut dress (here's some background on the song from El Universal).

Michoacán mayors take office - state goes from yellow to red

Hundred-and-eleven out of 113 municipalities changed hands in Michoacán this weekend. In essence, a big shift from yellow to red - from PRD to PRI. In the capital Morelia, an interim mayor took office given the recent cancellation of that race; in Cherán, the local population refused to hold elections.

Here is the graphic in pdf form on what party controls what municipality.

I happened to be at a ceremony for a PAN mayor where also Josefina Vázquez Mota was present. Her body guards carried the biggest assault rifles I have ever seen in use outside of a Hollywood blockbuster.

Pope Benny 16 to Mexico in March

The catholic church confirms it: Pope Benedict 16 will visit Mexico over three days this year, March 23-25. He  will not come to Mexico City - due to its location (thin air, pollution), but rather Guanajuato. Or perhaps, out of desire to avoid meeting with mayor Marcelo Ebrard, whom major figures in the church a while ago threatened to excommunicate from the catholic church due to the legalization of gay unions and abortion in the city.

He will also meet with President Calderón - expect the governing PAN to subtly or not so subtly use the visit for all its worth ahead of the 2012 election.

Then, he's off to Cuba. That could get far more interesting from a political point of view: Will he follow the lead of Pope John Paul II to condemn the blockade, and also call for democracy?

Guerrero: Gas station employee dies after students burned down station

There were many tragic stories from Guerrero recently, and what deservedly got the most attention was the gunning down of two students.

There is another side to this story, though, which only makes it more intrinsically tragic: It seems by now beyond doubt that the protesting students deliberately torched a PEMEX gas station. The employee got badly burnt trying to put out the flames to avoid a full explosion.

Yet due to his burns, he died just days ago in a Guerrero hospital.

The shooting deaths of the students was roundly and justifiably condemned. Yet we have heard very little on the death of this innocent worker. Just as one asks for the heads of the Guerrero police who shot the students, will any of the thugs responsible for this murder ever be held accountable?

New graphic from SIEDO on drug gang control of Mexico

According to SIEDO, Mexico's special organized crime unit, it's mainly a battle of the Sinaloa cartel and the Zetas. Despite blows particularly against the latter, the Zetas are said to lead in drugs and human trafficking, extortion, and fuel theft (Sinaloa has repeatedly gone to quite some lengths to emphasize it only does drugs). Here's SIEDO's latest graphic on the "territorial control" of the drug gangs:

From Milenio