International heat on Humberto Moreira

Read this excellent article from the Associated Press - the Coahuila debt scandal and more is finally receiving the international attention it well deserves.

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.

Manlio out: New head of Mexican senate is José González Morfín

It's in its last year - it was elected in 2006 - and Manlio Fabio Beltrones stepped down to be relieved by José González Morfín as probably the last head of this Mexican Senate.

Polls for Mexico City 2012 mayor

El Universal's poll for Mexico City mayor 2012 is out; the direct link to a high-res PDF is here.

So many names, so many combinations - and hell, the official campaign season is not already on. But the rub, to me at least: PRD still ahead in party preference, but with Beatriz Paredes Rangel as PRI's candidate, PRI leads Mexico City - this is an absolute first. I'll be an optimist and attribute that principally to name recognition.

The Mexican Congress: data, data, and data

If you're interested in the Mexican congress, here is neat little report from Integralia, the new consulting company of ex IFE head Luis Carlos Ugalde.

It includes data such as attendance, party unity in votes, initiatives, etc.  Direct PDF

One fun fact: guess the least productive legislator, with only six (!) percent attendance in congressional votes?

Josefina Vázquez Mota.
Gee, wonder what's been keeping her so busy.

Alejandra Barrales, for the nth time, says she wants to be mayor of Mexico City

Alejandra Barrales, apparently to the chagrin of Marcelo Ebrard, just the occasion of her second informe of her activities to express for the umpteenth time her "aspiration" to be mayor. Yes, we know - she has been expressing this for a long time. In my opinion, a far better, and much more qualified, candidate is Senator Carlos Navarrete. I'd love to see another woman as mayor (though certainly not another Rosario Robles), but I really don't see Barrales having done a whole lot that warrants her candidacy.

So when is Cordero declining? Josefina Vázquez Mota's big lead

Interesting figures on the candidates for PAN's 2012 presidential candidacy: Josefina Vázquez Mota surges ahead with 30.2 percent among all voters, and 39.4 among identified PAN voters. That is slightly ahead of Santiago Creel in the general demographic, but 9 points ahead among the PAN faithful - and poor Cordero is down on around 8.5 on both dimensions

The biggest plus, though: She is on the rise, and still is quite a bit less known than Creel, suggesting much potential to grow.

Señora presidenta?
(as it were, three of my students, Mexican nationals, all tend to think so, though they also very much like Ebrard...)