Bad news for PRI president and former Coahuila governor Humberto Moreira: Javier Villareal Hernández. who was the treasurer of his government, was arrested yesterday, accused of, among other acts, falsifying official state documents so as to obtain financial credit for the heavily indebted government led by Moreira.
Moreira has pathetically denounced this and related events as part of a "dirty war" against him, not giving any substantial answer or rebuttal to the charges. His situation as PRI president is becoming ever more untenable.
More details as well from El Universal
Showing posts with label Coahuila. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coahuila. Show all posts
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Coahuila debt scam to be invesitigated by Mexico's attorney general
PAN is not letting go of the debt and apparent document falsification scandal in Coahuila: PAN's presidential hopeful Ernesto Cordero said yesterday that the Mexican Attorney General's office (Procuraduría General de la República, PGR), will launch investigation as well, in addition to other auditing organs, as his finance ministry has sent or will lodge a formal criminal complaint.
Meanwhile, the Confederacion Nacional Campesina (CNC), a PRI corporatist organization, gave its full backing to Moreira
Meanwhile, the Confederacion Nacional Campesina (CNC), a PRI corporatist organization, gave its full backing to Moreira
Sunday, August 21, 2011
PRI president Moreira in trouble: Coahuila debt scandal expands
I've written on the Coahuila's massively expanded debt under ex-governor Humberto Moreira Valdés, now PRI president, before (e.g. here and here). As it stands, the current debt is 32 billion pesos - up from only 200 million when Moreira took office. The figures are shocking in themselves, yet now a new scandal is brewing that speaks of clear illegalities: that the Moreira government falsified documents given to its creditors where it pretended the state congress had approved of the contraction of new loans.
These are really serious offenses, and might land Moreira in trouble. Already there are reports that Enrique Peña Nieto, 2012 front runner, is quietly distancing himself from his own party president. One particularly recommended read is today's column by Jorge Zepeda Patterson in El Universal, where he outlines how Moreira has even been removed as head of important negotiations, such as Beatriz Paredes taking over talks with the ministry of finance over financial transfers to the states.
Watch for this growing scandal, and whether the two "golden boys" of the misnamed "new PRI" will be able to ride it off.
These are really serious offenses, and might land Moreira in trouble. Already there are reports that Enrique Peña Nieto, 2012 front runner, is quietly distancing himself from his own party president. One particularly recommended read is today's column by Jorge Zepeda Patterson in El Universal, where he outlines how Moreira has even been removed as head of important negotiations, such as Beatriz Paredes taking over talks with the ministry of finance over financial transfers to the states.
Watch for this growing scandal, and whether the two "golden boys" of the misnamed "new PRI" will be able to ride it off.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Coahuila gubernatorial election: Good run-down of candidates
A good run-down of the candidates for the upcoming (July 3) state election in Coahuila from El Universal here.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Will Javier Lozano's calls for prison terms in Sabinas mine disaster extend to himself?
Following the recent mine disaster in Sabinas, Coahuila, where 14 workers died, Javier Lozano Alarcón, Mexico's secretary of labor, recently huffed and puffed and demanded prison terms for whomever found responsible.
Given the persistent lack of thorough labor safety inspections, and the issuing of a record number of concessions with minimum oversight during his tenure as secretary of labor, will the call for arrests eventually also extend to Lozano himself?
A good background article on the Coahuila mining industry here.
Given the persistent lack of thorough labor safety inspections, and the issuing of a record number of concessions with minimum oversight during his tenure as secretary of labor, will the call for arrests eventually also extend to Lozano himself?
A good background article on the Coahuila mining industry here.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Coahuila opinion polls: Massive lead for PRI
The gubernatorial election in Coahuila (as in Nayarit and Mexico State) are almost five months away, so take these polls for what they're worth:
Of note, obviously, the enormous advantage of Rubén Moreira, the brother of Humberto, who just took a leave of absence to become the PRI's national party president-elect. Yet also, the very small support for PRD and the PT vis-a-vis PAN, which strongly suggests that should an alliance be made, it seems far more logical that it would be headed by a panista. Jesús González Schmall, who is promoted by AMLO, barely registers with less than a percentage point; PAN Senator Guillermo Anaya Llamas pulls at this point nearly 16 percent.
Of note, obviously, the enormous advantage of Rubén Moreira, the brother of Humberto, who just took a leave of absence to become the PRI's national party president-elect. Yet also, the very small support for PRD and the PT vis-a-vis PAN, which strongly suggests that should an alliance be made, it seems far more logical that it would be headed by a panista. Jesús González Schmall, who is promoted by AMLO, barely registers with less than a percentage point; PAN Senator Guillermo Anaya Llamas pulls at this point nearly 16 percent.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Coahuila: PRD agrees to allliance, yet AMLO already presented his own candidate
The Coahuila branch of the PRD just voted in favor of going in an alliance with the PAN for the upcoming gubernatorial election in the state. Likely candidate: Guillermo Anaya Llamas of the PAN.
The battle to beat the incumbent PRI - the current governor, on "leave of absence" as PRI president, wants to make his brother the next governor - is in any case an uphill one, yet it certainly makes more sense for the PRD to rally behind a PAN candidate than the other way around: In 2009, the PRD barely pulled 3 percent of the vote in the state, against around 21 for the PAN and 60 percent for the PRD.
Yet if even an alliance candidate is a long shot - though a shot - going with a separate candidate is purely testimonial. That doesn't stop AMLO, who recently declared that regardless of what the PRD decides, his candidate will be Jesús González Schmal, presumably on a PT and Convergencia label.
The battle to beat the incumbent PRI - the current governor, on "leave of absence" as PRI president, wants to make his brother the next governor - is in any case an uphill one, yet it certainly makes more sense for the PRD to rally behind a PAN candidate than the other way around: In 2009, the PRD barely pulled 3 percent of the vote in the state, against around 21 for the PAN and 60 percent for the PRD.
Yet if even an alliance candidate is a long shot - though a shot - going with a separate candidate is purely testimonial. That doesn't stop AMLO, who recently declared that regardless of what the PRD decides, his candidate will be Jesús González Schmal, presumably on a PT and Convergencia label.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Step forward toward PAN-PRD alliance in Coahuila
PAN and the PRD are having direct conversations these days regarding a possible electoral alliance in Coahuila, the state where now-PRI president Humberto Moreira is seeking to install his brother Rubén Moreira as new governor.
The likely candidate is PAN's Guillermo Anaya Llamas, a national senator for the party. He's earlier had quite a fews spat with the ex-governor, such as when Humberto accused him in 2007 of having ties to the narcos, a charge often repeated but never substantiated with any actual evidence.
The likely candidate is PAN's Guillermo Anaya Llamas, a national senator for the party. He's earlier had quite a fews spat with the ex-governor, such as when Humberto accused him in 2007 of having ties to the narcos, a charge often repeated but never substantiated with any actual evidence.
The chances of beating Rubén are slim, but they do exist.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Days after Coahuila interim governor in place, Rubén Moreira declares his candidacy for governor
Mere days after his brother Humberto stepped down as governor of Coahuila, Rubén Moreira officially declared his intention to seek the PRI nomination to be governor of the state. There will be no campaigning for the candidacy; Rubén is the PRI's only candidate.
The decision was hardly a shocker; Humberto has long groomed his brother for this position. Yet it is nonetheless, in form and content, a sad throwback to the nepotism of the not-too-distant (if at all distant) past, where direct family members are postulated so as to maintain political control of an entity. As much as political dynasties exist and are criticized in the United States and elsewhere, at least solid political counter forces and political institutions capable of checking them exist, for the most past, unlike in most states in Mexico.
So much for "effective suffrage, no reelection."
The decision was hardly a shocker; Humberto has long groomed his brother for this position. Yet it is nonetheless, in form and content, a sad throwback to the nepotism of the not-too-distant (if at all distant) past, where direct family members are postulated so as to maintain political control of an entity. As much as political dynasties exist and are criticized in the United States and elsewhere, at least solid political counter forces and political institutions capable of checking them exist, for the most past, unlike in most states in Mexico.
So much for "effective suffrage, no reelection."
Saturday, January 8, 2011
More on Coahuila and other states' debt
The department of finance and public credit (SHCP) reports that a whopping 15 out of 32 federal entities have a debt higher than 50 percent of federal transfers. Had these states been independent countries, they'd likely be in defaults or tough negotiations with international financial institutions by now.
Of note: Nuevo León y Chihuahua are the worst sinners, with a debt of 152.5 and 101 percent respectively.
Yet Coahuila, that of soon-to-be PRI president Humberto Moreira Valdés, saw the biggest rise in debt in 2010: A massive 56-percent rise when compared to 2009.
Now... does that mean that the governments are irresponsibly contracting debt, or that federal transfers are simply too low? I'd love for someone to run the figures with regards to earlier transfers.
In any case, here is a great graphic:
Of note: Nuevo León y Chihuahua are the worst sinners, with a debt of 152.5 and 101 percent respectively.
Yet Coahuila, that of soon-to-be PRI president Humberto Moreira Valdés, saw the biggest rise in debt in 2010: A massive 56-percent rise when compared to 2009.
Now... does that mean that the governments are irresponsibly contracting debt, or that federal transfers are simply too low? I'd love for someone to run the figures with regards to earlier transfers.
In any case, here is a great graphic:
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Coahuila: Chronicle of nepotism foretold. Jorge Torres López interim governor
As had long been speculated, Jorge Torres López, until recently head of the Coahuila government's ministry of social development, assumed as interim governor of the state, to serve the remained of Humberto Moreira Valdés' term, as the latter is going to the national PRI presidency. The state congress vote confirmed the appointment 24-6.
Yet Torres is merely a caretaker, given that it is Humberto's plan to make his brother, Rubén Moreira, the next elected governor of Coahuila. In an act of quite nauseating and pathetic sycophancy, Torres, in his first act as interim governor, unveiled an oil portrait of the governor-on-leave-of absence in the Government's palace.
Don't expect any major political initiative, announcement, or project in Coahuila for Torres' term.
Yet Torres is merely a caretaker, given that it is Humberto's plan to make his brother, Rubén Moreira, the next elected governor of Coahuila. In an act of quite nauseating and pathetic sycophancy, Torres, in his first act as interim governor, unveiled an oil portrait of the governor-on-leave-of absence in the Government's palace.
Don't expect any major political initiative, announcement, or project in Coahuila for Torres' term.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Humberto Moreira leaves Coahuila - with huge debt
Yesterday Humberto Moreira took a long-anticipated licensia, best regarded a "leave of absence," to "campaign" for the PRI presidency. The quotation marks represent just that: Given that no competitor exists for the position, this is most definitely a shoe-in, or a "candidate of unity" as the priístas have called it.
Yesterday Milenio revealed the enormous debt that most outgoing PRI governors leave behind; today, Ciro Gómez Leyva in his column repeated the theme, looking specifically at Moreira, who endowed the state with a minimum of 8 billion pesos debt, plus 5 billion more for a credit line approved by the PRI-dominant state congress, and likely billions more for local suppliers to the government.
(Gómez Leyva in turn refers to a column by Fernando Royo well worth reading).
(In addition, Moreira arguably deliberately underfunded Torreón, in the hands of the opposition PAN until mayor José Ángel Pérez Hernández stepped down this year, replaced by Eduardo Olmos Castro of the PRI.)
In Moreira's carefully constructed façade, cracks seem to appear.
Yesterday Milenio revealed the enormous debt that most outgoing PRI governors leave behind; today, Ciro Gómez Leyva in his column repeated the theme, looking specifically at Moreira, who endowed the state with a minimum of 8 billion pesos debt, plus 5 billion more for a credit line approved by the PRI-dominant state congress, and likely billions more for local suppliers to the government.
(Gómez Leyva in turn refers to a column by Fernando Royo well worth reading).
(In addition, Moreira arguably deliberately underfunded Torreón, in the hands of the opposition PAN until mayor José Ángel Pérez Hernández stepped down this year, replaced by Eduardo Olmos Castro of the PRI.)
In Moreira's carefully constructed façade, cracks seem to appear.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Coahuila Governor Humberto Moreira's fifth informe: PRI coronation
While regarded by many as the beginning of his campaign for the PRI's national presidency, the occasion of Coahuila governor Humberto Moreira Valdés's fifth informe or report to the state congress smacked more of a coronation of Moreira as the new leader of PRI, which has been his stated goal for a while.
It bears notice that the event, attended by thousands of supporters, drew even more PRI bigshots than Enrique Peña Nieto's informe just a few weeks back: A whopping 22 or so governors and governors-elect attended. Notably, as opposed to Enrique Peña Nieto, Moreira also is justified in boasting of significant social progress in the state during his governorship, which began in 2005. While Coahuila was certainly among Mexico's wealthiest states to begin with, but the state has succeeded in attracting 7.6 billion dollars in investment in the past five years, while notably improving health access and primary school drop-out rates.
Moreira's most likely competitor for the PRI presidency was Emilio Gamboa Patrón, head of the PRI-affiliated Confederación Nacional de Organizaciones Populares (CNOP), yet Gamboa's calls for a "single and unity candidate" strongly suggests he has thrown in the towel.
I've noted the past weeks that in-page internet political ads touting the achievements of Coahuila has popped up in quite a few Web pages, such as Proceso and La Jornada, clearly suggesting that Moreira's ambitions do not stop at being head of PRI. Withouth naming names, Moreira has on numerous occasions denounced the practice of using the party presidency as a trampoline to become federal deputy, senator, and of course candidate for national president (Roberto Madrazo), and he has openly pushed for changes to party rules that would ban candidates for doing so.
This should certainly not be taken to mean that Moreira does not harbor ambitions of his own for the presidency, though it would have to wait until 2018, when he will still be in his early fifties. As a likely part of this plan, one can expect him to try to have his brother elected as Coahuila governor in 2011, though an interim governor will most likely step in for Moreira when he officially launches his all-but-decided campaign to head the PRI. Moreira has carefully groomed his brother to succeed him, though having an interim governor for a year would at least prevent Moreira from directly handing over the governorship to his brother, and somewhat blunt the obvious charges of nepotism.
This should certainly not be taken to mean that Moreira does not harbor ambitions of his own for the presidency, though it would have to wait until 2018, when he will still be in his early fifties. As a likely part of this plan, one can expect him to try to have his brother elected as Coahuila governor in 2011, though an interim governor will most likely step in for Moreira when he officially launches his all-but-decided campaign to head the PRI. Moreira has carefully groomed his brother to succeed him, though having an interim governor for a year would at least prevent Moreira from directly handing over the governorship to his brother, and somewhat blunt the obvious charges of nepotism.
PAN and PRD will most likely run together in a coalition against Moreira's brother in 2011, but as things stand today, appear to have little chance against the Moreira machine, which may well turn into the Moreira dynasty.
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