Strange days in Zacatecas. Sonia Villarreal, a close collaborator of former governor Amalia García, was arrested on charges of auto theft, as a property apparently belonging to her was full of stolen vehicles, as well as 150 rollaway beds (!) belonging to the DIF state social assistance agency.
The name Sonia Villarreal rang a bell to me, and after checking my notes I realized that I spoke with her on 3-4 occasions when I in vain sought to gain a personal interview with then-Governor García - Villareal was in charge of her agenda, apparently. While knowing nothing of her possible guilt or innocence, I did think to myself, funny how life goes.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Eruviel Ávila, PRI´s gubernatorial candidate in Mexico State, by classic dedazo
Surprise, surprise. The chosen one - and emphasis on chosen one - to succeed Enrique Peña Nieto as governor of Mexico State was not Alfredo del Mazo, but rather Eruviel Ávila, mayor of Ecatepec.
It's noteworthy for several reasons: Alfredo del Mazo, the scion of the Atlacomulco dynasty in Mexico State, is far closer to Peña Nieto than Ávila - indeed, as noted earlier, he is almost his double - telegenic, well groomed by the media, from a wealthy background, etc - but the choice of Eruviel Ávila signals very much that Peña Nieto and the PRI realized they needed to move away from this image, instead picking a man who is indeed close to a true rags-to-riches story - his father was a bus driver, and young Eruviel worked as ticket taker on board, then as a class cutter, until achieving a doctorate in law at UNAM, and becoming mayor twice of Ecatepec, the position he just recently stepped down from.
Del Mazo was long tipped the favorite - he is the son of a former governor, grandson of another, and, to add, a cousin of Peña Nieto - but the PRI clearly decided that picking another of the Atlacomulco group would not be worth it - and it certainly takes away from the opposition one strong argument against the PRI nominee.
In any event, it is notable how the dedazo is very much alive in the PRI. One by one the PRI's pre-candidates simply declined - there were no votes, open polls, no primary, nothing - until a "candidate of unity" was simply pronounced. That candidate is Eruviel Ávila, who given his modest background may prove an even tougher candidate to beat than del Mazo.
It's noteworthy for several reasons: Alfredo del Mazo, the scion of the Atlacomulco dynasty in Mexico State, is far closer to Peña Nieto than Ávila - indeed, as noted earlier, he is almost his double - telegenic, well groomed by the media, from a wealthy background, etc - but the choice of Eruviel Ávila signals very much that Peña Nieto and the PRI realized they needed to move away from this image, instead picking a man who is indeed close to a true rags-to-riches story - his father was a bus driver, and young Eruviel worked as ticket taker on board, then as a class cutter, until achieving a doctorate in law at UNAM, and becoming mayor twice of Ecatepec, the position he just recently stepped down from.
Del Mazo was long tipped the favorite - he is the son of a former governor, grandson of another, and, to add, a cousin of Peña Nieto - but the PRI clearly decided that picking another of the Atlacomulco group would not be worth it - and it certainly takes away from the opposition one strong argument against the PRI nominee.
In any event, it is notable how the dedazo is very much alive in the PRI. One by one the PRI's pre-candidates simply declined - there were no votes, open polls, no primary, nothing - until a "candidate of unity" was simply pronounced. That candidate is Eruviel Ávila, who given his modest background may prove an even tougher candidate to beat than del Mazo.
Alejandro Encinas registers to seek PRD candidacy for Mexico State governorship
Alejandro Encinas appeared Friday in Toluca, capital of Mexico State, to register his candidacy to be PRD's candidate for governor in the upcoming elections.
Encinas brought with him a copy of his proof of residency in the state, which according to the document stretches back to 1979. It was notable how quickly this issue died down; indeed, Encinas himself for the longest used as his main reason not to seek this very candidacy that the might run into legal trouble by not fulfilling the requirements of having lived there the past years. That hardly means the issue is dead; expect a legal offensive against Encinas should he gain PRD's nomination and, to be sure, actually win the July 3 election.
Encinas brought with him a copy of his proof of residency in the state, which according to the document stretches back to 1979. It was notable how quickly this issue died down; indeed, Encinas himself for the longest used as his main reason not to seek this very candidacy that the might run into legal trouble by not fulfilling the requirements of having lived there the past years. That hardly means the issue is dead; expect a legal offensive against Encinas should he gain PRD's nomination and, to be sure, actually win the July 3 election.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Embarrassing picture of the day: Why AMLO's anti-alliance stance on "principles" ring hollow
Well, one might respond, this was about the 2000 election, where the opposition wanted to end a 71-year old rule of the PRI - surely this is different than today's situation? Yes, that's correct - but in that 1) we are not talking of the national level, but on a state-level alliance, and 2) in Mexico State, the pro-alliance forces within the two parties want to end what is now an uninterrupted 82-year long reign of the PRI, which in this state has used any means at its disposal to cling to power, and will almost inevitably succeed again in doing so if the PRD-PAN alliance fails.
There are many valid arguments, and many less so, why AMLO and his backers oppose a PRD-PAN alliance. But principled their opposition is not.
CSIS again off in analysis of the Mexican left
Duncan Wood of Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) analyses the PRD's potential 2012 presidential candidates, and get much right, though I take somewhat issue with his presentation of the two main camps within the PRD as the "center" vs. "more radical ideological" faction: I maintain that the issue is not so much about ideology, certainly not in left-right terms, as Ortega et al in many ways are more left than AMLO, but one of conception of the PRD - movement vs. party,the role of leadership, discourse, methods, tactics, strategies - but not chiefly about ideology.
Regardless: What I think is beyond interpretation is Wood's statement that "AMLO has said that he will not run for the presidency in 2012, and instead will throw his support behind Ebrard."
This is just plain wrong. To be frank, you must have truly been living under a rock not to have heard AMLO's countless pronunciations that he is indeed going for 2012; the first "official" declaration was his much-publicized July 2010 rally in the Zocalo, and he has repeated it ever since.
Regardless: What I think is beyond interpretation is Wood's statement that "AMLO has said that he will not run for the presidency in 2012, and instead will throw his support behind Ebrard."
This is just plain wrong. To be frank, you must have truly been living under a rock not to have heard AMLO's countless pronunciations that he is indeed going for 2012; the first "official" declaration was his much-publicized July 2010 rally in the Zocalo, and he has repeated it ever since.
Human rights reform now passed in both houses
The Mexican Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday approved, in a remarkable 310-0 vote, a series of human rights reforms passed by the Senate (106-0) on March 8.
The reform elevates human rights to constitutional rank, and prohibits any discrimination based on ethnic origin, gender, age, disability, social condition, health, religion, and sexual orientation (a gorup of PAN Senators tried to remove this part, but were rejected), and the reform has been hailed by the UN's Mexico office.
It also gives more power to Mexico's Human Rights Commission (CNDH), including the right to investigate cases of grave human rights violations, which until now has rested with the Supreme Court.
Also, no longer can a foreigner/immigrant be expelled from Mexico without the right to a proper hearing.
As this is a Constitutional reform, it must now be passed by half+1 of Mexico's states, which very unlikely will be a problem.
In sum: A great step forward.
The reform elevates human rights to constitutional rank, and prohibits any discrimination based on ethnic origin, gender, age, disability, social condition, health, religion, and sexual orientation (a gorup of PAN Senators tried to remove this part, but were rejected), and the reform has been hailed by the UN's Mexico office.
It also gives more power to Mexico's Human Rights Commission (CNDH), including the right to investigate cases of grave human rights violations, which until now has rested with the Supreme Court.
Also, no longer can a foreigner/immigrant be expelled from Mexico without the right to a proper hearing.
As this is a Constitutional reform, it must now be passed by half+1 of Mexico's states, which very unlikely will be a problem.
In sum: A great step forward.
PRI is anti-alliance - except from their own, signed yesterday
The PRI, the Green Party (PVEM), and Nueva Alianza (PANAL) formalized their electoral alliance - yes, alliance - ahead of the July 3 gubernatorial election in Mexico State.
Does it get more hypocritical than this? This is the same PRI, to recall, that under Enrique Peña Nieto has done everything in its power - altering electoral law, government propaganda, likening it to organized crime - to block a PRD-PAN alliance, tagging said alliance as "unnatural" and the like.
In PRI-PVEM-PANAL's defense, the three parties do indeed have quite a bit in common: They are highly opportunistic vehicles, vacuous of any serious programmatic convictions, where trying to grasp a hold of their ideology is akin to reaching into a bowl of jelly.
Jesús Zambrano, new PRD leader, pointedly asked if PRI, which has attacked the "ideological incongruence" of a PRD-PAN alliance, also agrees with the Green Party's main campaign issue of reinstating the death penalty in Mexico, or with the absolute chiefdom of Elba Esther Gordillo over PANAL and the SNTE teacher union.
Picture from Milenio. Pure ideological and programmatic congruence, mind you.
Does it get more hypocritical than this? This is the same PRI, to recall, that under Enrique Peña Nieto has done everything in its power - altering electoral law, government propaganda, likening it to organized crime - to block a PRD-PAN alliance, tagging said alliance as "unnatural" and the like.
In PRI-PVEM-PANAL's defense, the three parties do indeed have quite a bit in common: They are highly opportunistic vehicles, vacuous of any serious programmatic convictions, where trying to grasp a hold of their ideology is akin to reaching into a bowl of jelly.
Jesús Zambrano, new PRD leader, pointedly asked if PRI, which has attacked the "ideological incongruence" of a PRD-PAN alliance, also agrees with the Green Party's main campaign issue of reinstating the death penalty in Mexico, or with the absolute chiefdom of Elba Esther Gordillo over PANAL and the SNTE teacher union.
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