Monday, March 28, 2011
Eruviel Ávila with thinly veiled reference: "I am from Mexico State"
Candidate-designate Eruviel Ávila declared that "Yo sí soy del Estado de México," or "I am from Mexico state," with emphasis on "I" here. It is a barely veiled reference to his possible opponent Alejandro Encinas, who may, should he compete with Ávila for the governorship, will very likely soon find his required residency in Mexico State questioned by the PRI.
Jesús Ortega: A refreshingly candid interview
H/T to Gancho: Milenio Semanal's interview with Jesús Ortega is very well worth a read. Ortega has always been among the more clear-spoken of PRD's elites; here, the now ex-president lays very clear his views of the PRD and of its conflict with AMLO. Read it and tell me if you still think, as does AMLO, that this is a "traitor" and a mere entreguista.
Jesús "tragabalas" Zambrano: The story of how he got shot
As is often noted, PRD's new leader Jesús Zambrano has a past in armed guerrillas, although he is now a leading member of the social-democratic Nueva Izquierda faction in the PRD. There are many myths surrounding Zambrano; here he himself finally recounts how he earned his nickname tragabalas, from the day in 1974 when he got shot in the jaw, was captured, and would spend years in prison.
SME offers to back Peña Nieto with "200,000" votes
As said by Eduardo Bobadilla, a member of the SME leadership, "Peña wants votes; we want a new company."
Despite hailed by AMLO and parts of the left as something akin to a glorious proletarian vanguard, the SME electricians union is openly negotiating with Enrique Peña Nieto to back the PRI candidate in Mexico State the coming July 3rd - around a third of SME's remaining members hail from Mexico State, and these 5,000 workers claim to be able to conjure 200,000 for the PRI's candidates.
Having essentially betrayed their earlier backers (AMLO, PRD, Ebrard, etc), my hunch is that the SME will in turn be used and discarded by the PRI as soon as the elections are over.
Grand Theft Auto in Zacatecas: Close collaborator of Amalia García arrested
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.
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.
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.
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