Religious nuts destroy schools in Michoacán

Via Proceso, from Nueva Jerusalén in the state of Michoacán:

Spurred by an alleged clairvoyant, teachers and religious fanatics of the New Jerusalem community began to demolish with sledgehammers, picks and shovels two schools - pre-school and primary education - which threatens to unleash a new conflict in this entity...Members of New Jerusalem believe that "schools are of the devil" and oppose secular education...Drinking, dating, and fun, is prohibited in the district, as well as voting for any other party than the PRI, and one also needs to say about 50 rosaries a day.

Source: Fanáticos religiosos destruyen escuelas en Michoacán. Proceso Online, July 6, 2012

Soriana vote buying reaches international media

Sorianagate (what else) won't go away, and AMLO et al are doing their part, appearing at a press conference in front of a wall plastered with many of the 3,500 Soriana cards the left coalition said it had received the past days:

El Universal

Beyond the story itself, where PRI is accused of massive vote-buying through Soriana store gift cars, it is also very interesting to see the media reaction. Take Carlos Marín, a very sharp mind but possibly the most venous of Milenio's columnists - kind of like Jefe Diego of PAN - who completely ridiculed the story immediately after it broke.

Yet quite a few international news media - AP, The Washington Post, etc - and now even IFE has found the accusations serious enough to warrant an investigation and ask Soriana for more information. It makes me wonder: If this is how big-names like Marín are acting before EPN takes power, imagine how they will be after one sexenio. They say jump and you say how high.

CNN also reported on the very venerable Alianza Cívica, of fame as election observers during Mexico's democratic transition, which for this election found, against IFE's rather rose-tinted lenses, there were indeed many irregularities includingvote coercion. We'll see if AMLO's coalition can come up with something tangible for their complaint to the TEPJF electoral court, though I strongly doubt there is any risk of annulling the election.

In any case: Given that Mexicans have just about the best sense of political humor in the world, I couldn't help but to include this one:




Sources:

Carlos Marín: Lo de Soriana, otro cuento chino. Milenio, July 4, 2012.
Reports of gift card payments feed growing accusations of vote-buying in Mexico’s election. The Washington Post, July 4, 2012.
Accusations grow of vote-buying Mexico election. Associated Press, July 4, 2012.
Mexico's presidential election tainted by claims of vote buying. The Washington Post, July 5, 2012.
Pide IFE a Soriana datos de tarjetas - Nación - El Universal, July 5, 2012
Exponen 3500 tarjetas Soriana. El Universal, July 6, 2012.