Mexico's new congressional leaders

With the election today of PRD's new coordinators, all three major parties in Mexico have now chosen their congressional leaders for the foreseeable future (up to three years for the Chamber of Deputies, and six for the Senate).

PAN: For the Senate, Calderón managed to install the inept Ernesto Cordero as coordinator of the PAN's legislative group. Yet for Chamber leader, PAN chose Luis Alberto Villarreal, ex-mayor of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, who is loyal to PAN leader Gustavo Madero, in conflict with Calderón over control of the party. One for each one.

For PRI, its former Senate coordinator Manlio Fabio Beltrones will now take on that role in the Chamber, while Emilio Gamboa Patrón will lead the PRI's Senate group - he was coordinator for its Chamber group 2006-9, and after that became head of CNOP, PRI's "popular sector."
Say what you will about Beltrones and Gamboa, but the "New PRI" they ain't.

For PRD, the Nueva Izquierda social-democratic faction critical of AMLO won control of the Senate group, with Miguel Barbosa Huerta. They notably also won control of the Chamber coordinator, with ex-senator  and ex-candidate of Michoacán governor Silvano Aureoles Conejo, who although he is a member of another party current (Foro Nuevo Sol) is regarded as very close to NI.

Don't expect PRD's new coordinators to follow any renewed calls for "legislative strikes," which AMLO so often proclaimed in 2007-9.

Source:
Elige PRI a coordinadores en el Congreso. El Universal, Aug. 9, 2012
PAN: Cordero y Villarreal, coordinadores en Congreso. El Universal, Aug. 14, 2012
Lanzan a “matador” al ruedo de San Lázaro. El Universal, Aug. 14, 2012
Define PRD jefes de bancadas. El Universal, Aug. 15, 2012

PRI sector seek to give Moreira immunity - a telling sign

The PRI's Confederación Nacional de Organizaciones Populares (CNOP), a corporatist leftover from its golden days and headed by party hack Emilio Gamboa Patrón, expressed support for an elected office for disgraced ex party leader Humberto Moreira, who may well be facing legal prosecution soon.

So to reiterate: Rather than letting Moreira face the accusations and prove himself innocent and clear his name, PRI wants to have Moreira elected federal deputy or senator, which offers legal immunity for persecution - admitting, ipso facto, that there is hardly no smoke without fire, and that Moreira truly has much to hide.

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. 

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.