Michoacán governor election: PRI ahead with 89% of voted counted

According to the PREP, or a program for preliminary election results contracted by Michoacán's electoral authority, Fausto Vallejo Figueroa is leading in the count to be Michoacán's next governor with 35.38 percent.
Luisa María Calderón Hinojosa is in second place with 32.67.

If confirmed, this is quite an upset: All major polls had Calderón's sister Cocoa as the favorite. It will be a huge triumph for the PRI ahead of 2012.

PRI won in all four districts of the capital Morelia, where Vallejo was governor, and the two in Uruapan. It is also ahead in Hidalgo, Zitácuaro, Apatzingán, Zinapécuaro and Múgica - 9 districts.

PAN is ahead in La Piedad, Zamora, Jiquilpan, Jacona and Tacámbaro, while PRD won Lázaro Cárdenas, Puruándiro, Zacapu, Huetamo, Maravatío, Los Reyes, Pátzcuaro and Coalcomán.

What is moreover clear, as Milenio proclaims front page in its print edition, is that the PRD lost control of the state.

Michoacán votes: President's sister is favorite

Luisa María Calderón Hinojosa, the sister's president, is the favorite ahead of today's gubernatorial election in Michoacán. Accusations have been flying of illegal interventions from the PAN-led federal government to back Cocoa.

1,639 election observers, a record high, will guard election, which will also see a heavy security presence by the army and federal police - reportedly 10,000 in total, to guard the 3.4 million voters, of which around 50 percent are expected to participate. Notably, michoacanos in the United States could also vote, via postal ballot, and around 600 or so such votes were registered and approved - or around 0.002 percent of the around a quarter of a million living abroad, meaning above all United States.

In Cherán, there will not be any ballot boxes installed, however, as its citizens have refused the holding of elections in the predominantly indigenous municipality, instead claiming their right to do so through the traditional usos y costumbres method used in indigenous areas particularly in Oaxaca.

The new governor will only sit three years and seven months, given earlier reforms in the state to gradually seek to synchronize the elections with the national

In addition, 40 state legislators and heads of 113 municipalities will be elected today. Polls close at 7 pm U.S. eastern time, and the preliminary results can be seen on www.iem.org.mx and www.prep.org.mx.

The company behind this PREP, PoderNet, assured voters these results were safe from any cyber attacks and manipulation.

Rhetoric heats up in Michoacán following PAN mayor murder

* Luisa María Calderón Hinojosa, the president's sister who despite her promise to never run for office while her brother was president, is running to be governor of her home state Michoacán, attacked Governor Leonel Godoy of the PRD, essentially blaming him for the murder of PAN mayor Ricardo Guzmán Romero.

* The PRD, in turn,  is accusing PAN of taking advantage of Guzmán's murder for political gain.
Note that 28 mayors have been killed in Calderón's sexenio - and 20 since 2010 alone.

* PAN is accused of naked clientelism - by the federal FEPADE. The La Fiscalía Especializada en Delitos Electorales (Fepade), or the organ under the attorney general dedicated to investigating electoral abuses, to its credit moved against employees from SEDESOL or the federal social development secretariat, is it apparently was trying to hand out sacks of cement - 27 tons! - in return for voters giving them their voter ID number as well as a promise to vote for PAN.

Cocoa favors gay marriage - what would Felipe say?

Now this is interesting: President Felipe Calderón's sister Luisa María Calderón Hinojosa, or "Cocoa," who is now running to be governor of Michoacán, said she is not against gay marriages, as they "give certainty" to couples. How wonderfully refreshing from a PAN candidate - how far the party has seemingly come. Yet I wonder what her brother the president thinks of this social liberalism.

Michoacán gubernatorial election: It's on, officially.

This will be a most unique election: As Milenio notes, and I concur, there has probably never been a gubernatorial election that is divided so completely in three - for PAN, PRI, and PRD.
In Michoacán, everything seems at this point as a possibility.

The candidates started yesterday the official campaign, with three strong candidates: President Felipe Calderón's sister Luisa María Calderón Hinojosa; PRD Senator Silvano Aureoles Conejo, and four-time mayor of Morelia, Fausto Vallejo Figueroa.

From yesterday on, the state government (PRD) is not allowed to publicize any public works or propaganda, nor are state officials allowed to participate in any campaigns. One can only hope that the federal government, over which the state electoral institute has no jurisdiction, will do the same: I am not too optimistic, given all the "visits" of key cabinet officials as well as the president himself to Michoacán the past weeks.

Election Day is Nov. 13.

Michoacán: PAN at its worst

There is something truly repugnant about virtually every step the PAN has taken in Michoacàn ahead of the November gubernatorial election.

As is known by know, the president's sister,  Luisa María Calderón Hinojosa, became the PAN's candidate for governor. Nothing illegal, though it bears notice that the pact she made with her brother and other member of the Calderón family in 2006 to NOT seek any elected office while Felipe was president, was just a lie. Shocker.

Yet now, Marko Cortés Mendoza, the losing candidate in PAN´s primary, has just been given the consolation price of becoming PAN´s mayoral candidate in Morelia. First, I think it tells you a bit of his character that he even threatened to leave the PAN and run for another party should he not get some kind of reward. A pure opportunist - I think the morelianos deserve someone with a bit more principles. But it gets worse: Marko - he goes by his first name in the state - was directly appointed candidate centrally by the PAN, reminiscent of the worst dedazos of the PRI regime. This does not please local deputy Alfonso Martínez, who has been campaigning long and hard for the nomination, yet simply received news that any primary is cancelled.

And worse it gets: Despite all the dirty laundry aired in public, and quite a bit of mudslinging, regarding the PANAL party of  Elba Esther Gordillo, based on her iron grip of the SNTE teachers union, and despite declarations from PAN it would not stoop again to the low of allying with Gordillo, the PAN in Michoacàn did just that.

I hope Michoacán makes a wise electoral choice on the coming Nov. 13.

Cocoa's the one: President Calderón's sister wins party primary in Michoacán

Luisa María Calderón Hinojosa, "Cocoa," won PAN's primary election in Michoacán to be the party's gubernatorial candidate, with 58 percent of the 25,757 votes cast. Her opponent, Senator Marko Cortés Mendoza, has accepted the defeat - despite some alarmist suggestions that he would cause quite a bit of mayhem and claim a fraud.

Quite the contrary - Cortés said he would fully back Cocoa. His loss is also a defeat for Santiago Creel, who openly backed his aspirations against those of the president's sister.

With her candidacy, the November Michoacán election looks even more set to be a completely open three-way race. Quite likely, PRI and PRD will denounce "nepotism," and accuse Calderón, fairly or not, of intervening in the local election.

Clearly she has every right to participate. But voters should also bear in mind that she is also a woman who does not stick to her word:  She is openly breaking an earlier agreement from 2006 that no family member would be in the public as long as Felipe was president. That was then; this is now - but it was clearly a lie.

PRI has said that a victory Michoacán is essential for the party on its path to 2012: Its leader said he will literally not leave the state until the election.  So it is, of course, for the PRD, as the state might be considered the party's cradle. But finally, also to the PAN, and not only for the above: It won its first municipal president (Quiroga), first local deputy, and first national deputy there, eons ago.

This will be a very dramatic - and competitive - affair.

Fistfight! And fire extinguisher! PAN in Michocán comes to blows over Cocoa vs. Marko

I do not condone violence and even less to solve political conflicts. Yet the internal turmoil in PAN's state branch in Michoacán, where the party is divided over whether President Calderón's sister Luisa María "Cocoa" or Senator Marko Cortés should be its gubernatorial candidate for the November election, sounds like something out of a slapstick movie:

"[Marko's campaign coordinator] Eduardo Chavira Garcia came to the other end of the hall, where [Luisa María's coordinator] Mariano Torres stood,  and suddenly planted a coupled of blows to his face....Mariano Torres lost his balance and fell backward on a fire extinguisher, which got turned on and released powder over those cheering. Shoving ensued between supporters of two rival groups, but there were no more blows, although insults and threats.Members of the Presidential Guard, who constantly guard Luisa María Calderón, merely observed the scene and surrounded Cocoa."

(though El Universal reports the EMP guard intervened on behalf of Cocoa's supporters)

Refreshing to hear the PRD isn't the only party with unorthodox dispute mediation techniques.

Michoacán: Battle to be PAN's nominee likely to get nasty

Luisa María Calderón Hinojosa, or "Cocoa," is the sister of President Felipe Calderón. Quite controversially, she now seeks to become PAN's nominee for the 2011 gubernatorial contest, the last state election ahead of the 2012 presidential elections.

The controversy may be obvious: As the president's sister, "Cocoa" will almost by default have accusations launched that the president is loading the dice in her favor. She admitted there will be "tension" in the fight over the nomination, but rejected any dirty play. Her main opponent is Marko Cortés Mendoza, who is suggesting a dirty campaign is already being waged, but rejects to step down from seeking the nomination even if Calderón asks him.

Things are likely to heat up in PAN Michoacán.

Calderón's sister does not rule out dialogue with drug gang; wants to be governor

Luisa María Calderón Hinojosa, nicknamed "Cocoa," wants very much to be governor of her and her little brother Felipe Calderón's home state of Michoacán.

Here's a profile of her in El Universal. Of note: She appears not to rule out a call for dialogue with La Familia Michoacana, the Michoacán-based mafia:

"Would make a call for conversion with the cartel "La Familia Michoacana"?
"In part, but in time, and with outcomes they would have to comply with"

She also refuses to call herself a "rightwinger," not surprising given the strength of cardenismo and left wing forces in Michoacán.

Some personal observation: Despite her interest, and the obvious advantage of being the president's sister - I've said it before and will say it again: this stinks of nepotism - her nomination is far from secured. Many panistas in the state I spoke with the past weeks seem to be more inclined toward Senator Marko Cortés Mendoza, who appears to be doing far more proselytizing and activism in the state than Calderón's sister.
He seems much more popular with the bases, though these are mere personal impressions.
Here is his Web page - it's pretty slick.

However, my personal favorite for who would be the best governor of the state of Michoacán:
Antonio Soto Sánchez, former federal senator and deputy, and a man of an impeccable trajectory.

Michoacán and the PRD

Following the dramatic attacks by La Familia Michoacana on particular Dec. 8-10, and with the backdrop of the desafuero or removal of legislative immunity of the PRD deputy Julio Godoy Toscano, half-brother of Michoacán Governor Leonel Godoy, the PRD held an emergency conference of sorts in Morelia where the party closed ranks behind the governor. In what was named the Declaración de Michoacán, much of the top PRD leadership from all camps in the party in seven points reiterated its support for the fight against organized crime,  regardless of the party colors and, pointedly, family ties of those involved. At the same time, the party strongly backed Leonel Godoy, and again called for the federal government to "rethink the strategy" in its war on the drug gangs.

Notably, Michoacán was recently deemed by Mexico´s national human rights commission (Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos, CNDH) to be the most insecure entity in the country, given the level of complaints filed with the CNDH: 265 (vs. 240 in Chihuahua), of which 130 against the defense ministry, 107 against the Federal police, and 21 against the attorney general´s office, mainly on issues such as illegal searches and cruel treatment of citizens.

I do not wish for a moment to downplay the possible human rights violations taking place in Michoacán, but there seems to me to be a bit of a dubious methodology in place here: The more complaints = more human rights violations.For onem the high number of complaints may merely reflect a more active civil society or, less benignly, a more organized campaign by La Familia to push citizens to lodge such complaints. After all, the group has organized plenty of "demonstrations" against the presence of the military and the federal police. Also, as La Jornada reports, many of the complaints were also lodged against entities such as IMSS and ISSTE. Yet most obvious of all: A claim that Michoacán is worse than Chihuahuha in terms of human rights violations should strike even the most casual observer of Mexico as utterly absurd. It is perhaps quite understandable that the PRD, through its Secretary General Hortensia Aragón, would recently warn against an "ambush" by the federal government against Michoacàn, a state where President Felipe Calderón, lest we forget, hopes to see his sister Luisa María elected governor in 2011.

For all intents and purposes, it's official: Calderón's sister Luisa María wants to govern Michoacán

It was ostensibly a mere celebration of her 54th birthday, but the cries of “¡Cocoa gobernadora!, ¡Cocoa gobernadora!" left little doubt that event held in honor of Luisa María Calderón Hinojosa was all but an official declaration of her candidacy to be PAN's candidate for governor of Michoacán in 2011. 


A range of federal and local deputies were in attendance, as well as the three federal secretaries (Economy, Bruno Ferrari; Health, José Ángel Córdova Villalobos; Environment, Juan Rafael Elvira Quezada) and the governors of Guanajuato and Morelos, Juan Manuel Oliva Ramírez and Marco Antonio Adame Castillo, though also prominent local priístas, stoking further suspicions that Calderón's ambitions to place his sister as governor of this home state is leading to local alliances with the Michoacán PRI state branch. 

Yet the festivities came to a an abrupt end with the news that Eduardo Villaseñor Meza, a local PRI notable, was hit and killed by a truck as he was leaving the party.