Former PAN president Manuel Espino's reaction to the recent TEPJF decision against him is as predictable as the sun also rising: "Liars!"
Yes, Espino, head of PAN during the contentious 2006 election, pulled an AMLO: Never, ever accept any verdict against you; rather, disqualify any adversarial [election, poll, court decision, etc] ruling in your disfavor.
Showing posts with label Manuel Espino. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manuel Espino. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Electoral Tribunal accepts expulsion of Manuel Espino
Mexico's electoral tribunal, TEPJF, voted 4-2 to confirm PAN's expulsion of Manuel Espino from the party. As far as I can see, this is in practice puts an end to this drawn-out process, where Espino - still popular among the most conservative sectors in the party, where he has a certain mass following - has fought tooth and nail against PAN's decision to kick him out of the party for disloyalty to its candidates in the 2010 elections.
Espino has also long expressed his interest in a presidential candidacy, and has his own "movement," Volver a Empezar.
Espino has also long expressed his interest in a presidential candidacy, and has his own "movement," Volver a Empezar.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Manuel Espino's expulsion from PAN final
Manuel Espino, PAN member since 1978, secretary general 2002-2005, and party president 2005-2007, was finally officially expelled from the party by the PAN' somewhat Orwellian-named Commission of Order, after a long and drawn-out process.
Espino says he will continue to fight it, taking it to the TEPJF, or Mexico's federal electoral tribunal.
While there were admittedly some instances were Espino did criticize some PAN candidates, which from what I recall was one of the reasons for his expulsion, it is hard not to see this as a personal crusade from Calderón, whose political strategies, particularly against the narcos, Espino has criticized.
And lest we forget: In April 2006, Espino referred to the PAN's presidential candidate as "the little bald guy with glasses." Now it's personal!
Espino says he will continue to fight it, taking it to the TEPJF, or Mexico's federal electoral tribunal.
While there were admittedly some instances were Espino did criticize some PAN candidates, which from what I recall was one of the reasons for his expulsion, it is hard not to see this as a personal crusade from Calderón, whose political strategies, particularly against the narcos, Espino has criticized.
And lest we forget: In April 2006, Espino referred to the PAN's presidential candidate as "the little bald guy with glasses." Now it's personal!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Así de fácil: Manuel Espino officially kicked out of the PAN
While it appeared long a foregone conclusion, the Sonora branch of Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) informed that the expulsion of Manuel Espino is a done deal.
Expect him to make a lot of noise the coming months, possibly even as head of an alternative party based in his newly created movement, Volver a Empezar.
The former national PAN president may still appeal the ruling.
Expect him to make a lot of noise the coming months, possibly even as head of an alternative party based in his newly created movement, Volver a Empezar.
The former national PAN president may still appeal the ruling.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Espino confirms he is "exploring" presidential bid.
As predicted, former PAN president Manuel Espino finally declared that he is "exploring" the possibility of being a candidate for the presidency in 2010 - on the PAN label. This declaration comes immediately ahead of today's vote in the party's National Executive Committee (CEN) on whether Espino should be expelled from the party, nominally given his criticism of certain recent PAN candidates, and the situation as such is rather remarkable.
Espino claims to have created an organization with presence in 16 key states, composed of more than 60,000 sympathizers, yet repeats he will not resign from the PAN, and that the process that may lead to his expulsion is the product of pressure from president Felipe Calderón. Given the animosity that exists between the two men, I find it hard not to agree with this sentiment.
Espino claims to have created an organization with presence in 16 key states, composed of more than 60,000 sympathizers, yet repeats he will not resign from the PAN, and that the process that may lead to his expulsion is the product of pressure from president Felipe Calderón. Given the animosity that exists between the two men, I find it hard not to agree with this sentiment.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Espino kicked out of PAN?
I've been pondering for a while who might be kicked out/renounce from their respective parties first: Andrés Manuel López Obrador of the PRD, or Manuel Espino of the PAN. Now it seems Espino might beat AMLO to the task, as an internal committee of the national PAN leadership is meeting next week to discuss whether Espino should be kicked out.
The timing is hardly opportune, from a personal angle: Espino's nephew was just murdered in Ciudad Juárez.
Yet the decision to go ahead with the process that might very well result in Espino's expulsion is noteworthy for a range of reasons:
- Like AMLO, he is a former national president of the PAN
- In comparison with AMLO - who, for instance, in 2009 actively campaigned against his own party - Espino's transgression appear to me far from warranting expulsion, principally criticizing the PAN alliances and their candidates in the recent elections. What he has been doing, however, is to be quite vocal in his criticism of president Calderón, and herein lies the key: There is much bad blood between the president and Espino for a range of reasons, yet their feuds have very little to do with ideology, even though Espino belongs to the hard catholic right of PAN, yet about power, and vengeance. Espino, it should be noted, considers himself a serious contender for the PAN candidacy for president in 2012. It is a rather absurd situation: The man who might represent PAN as its standard bearer in 2012 (his chances are hardly stellar), yet hardly a new one in Mexico: AMLO was PRD party president 96-99 and presidential candidate, yet will most likely bow out if Ebrard gets PRD's nomination for 2112. And in 2008, Ricardo Monreal sought the PRD presidency, yet barely a year later ditched PRD (as he had earlier ditched PRI) for the PT.
Take-home point: If Espino is kicked out, PAN will remain highly divided, and very unlikely to win in 2012. The fights are not chiefly of ideology, but personal vendettas, and of anger from the party organs for Calderón's blatant imposition of candidates the past three years over the heads of national and state party organizations, resorting to the dedazos he criticized so much when in opposition. Stay tuned for next week's decision.
The timing is hardly opportune, from a personal angle: Espino's nephew was just murdered in Ciudad Juárez.
Yet the decision to go ahead with the process that might very well result in Espino's expulsion is noteworthy for a range of reasons:
- Like AMLO, he is a former national president of the PAN
- In comparison with AMLO - who, for instance, in 2009 actively campaigned against his own party - Espino's transgression appear to me far from warranting expulsion, principally criticizing the PAN alliances and their candidates in the recent elections. What he has been doing, however, is to be quite vocal in his criticism of president Calderón, and herein lies the key: There is much bad blood between the president and Espino for a range of reasons, yet their feuds have very little to do with ideology, even though Espino belongs to the hard catholic right of PAN, yet about power, and vengeance. Espino, it should be noted, considers himself a serious contender for the PAN candidacy for president in 2012. It is a rather absurd situation: The man who might represent PAN as its standard bearer in 2012 (his chances are hardly stellar), yet hardly a new one in Mexico: AMLO was PRD party president 96-99 and presidential candidate, yet will most likely bow out if Ebrard gets PRD's nomination for 2112. And in 2008, Ricardo Monreal sought the PRD presidency, yet barely a year later ditched PRD (as he had earlier ditched PRI) for the PT.
Take-home point: If Espino is kicked out, PAN will remain highly divided, and very unlikely to win in 2012. The fights are not chiefly of ideology, but personal vendettas, and of anger from the party organs for Calderón's blatant imposition of candidates the past three years over the heads of national and state party organizations, resorting to the dedazos he criticized so much when in opposition. Stay tuned for next week's decision.
Friday, July 30, 2010
(Not so) Friendly fire not always on the left: Espino compares Cálderon to... Chávez!
Manuel Espino, head of Organización Demócrata Cristiana de América (ODCA), or the "Christian Democratic International," and longstanding critic of Mexican President Felipe Calderón, ratched up the rhetoric a notch yesterday by arguing Calderón could be compared to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez in his "authoritarianism." The reason is Calderón's alleged interference in the process of electing Espino´s successor of this loose center-right organization of christian democratic parties.
Espino, one should note, is hardly a centrist, but a rather ardent rightwinger close to the extremist secret Catholic society El Yunque, and was one of the main responsible for the dirty campaign against AMLO in 2006. Yet ever since he was forced out as PAN party chief in 2008, he has been a bitter opponent of Calderón, publishing three books since 2008 bashing Calderón and his policies.
He certainly has a point regarding his ouster as party president: While Espino was duly elected president of PAN by its National Council (which is exactly the mechanism PRD should resort to, by the way), while Calderón resorted to a mechanism long practiced by PRI, and criticized by Calderón when he in turn was party president, namely where the president of he nation would simply select the party president by a dedazo, rather than through a vote in the party organs. Once president, Calderón threw this old conviction out the window and duly selected both Germán Martínez and César Nava as subsequent PAN presidents. Hence much of the bitterness toward Calderón, as well as programmatic differences: In my eyes Calderón is rather a centrist and far from as socially conservative as Espino.
"Friendly fire" in Mexican politics thus does not always happen on the left.
Espino, one should note, is hardly a centrist, but a rather ardent rightwinger close to the extremist secret Catholic society El Yunque, and was one of the main responsible for the dirty campaign against AMLO in 2006. Yet ever since he was forced out as PAN party chief in 2008, he has been a bitter opponent of Calderón, publishing three books since 2008 bashing Calderón and his policies.
He certainly has a point regarding his ouster as party president: While Espino was duly elected president of PAN by its National Council (which is exactly the mechanism PRD should resort to, by the way), while Calderón resorted to a mechanism long practiced by PRI, and criticized by Calderón when he in turn was party president, namely where the president of he nation would simply select the party president by a dedazo, rather than through a vote in the party organs. Once president, Calderón threw this old conviction out the window and duly selected both Germán Martínez and César Nava as subsequent PAN presidents. Hence much of the bitterness toward Calderón, as well as programmatic differences: In my eyes Calderón is rather a centrist and far from as socially conservative as Espino.
"Friendly fire" in Mexican politics thus does not always happen on the left.
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