Nuevo León ex governor who claimed PRI pacted with narcos questioned

Sócrates Rizzo García was governor of Nuevo León 1991-1996, for the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI). It therefore sent quite a few shock waves through the political spectrum when he last February made some comments that strongly suggested that the even national had been making pacts with the drug gangs in the 1990s. The PRI-controlled presidency,

“tenía resuelto el problema del tránsito” de (droga), pues de algún manera se les decía (a traficantes) ‘tu pasas por aquí… pero no me toques estos lugares’”.

Rizzo was now - 8 months later, mind you - questioned by the PGR or the federal attorney general's office regarding these claims. Yet what did he state now? "I was not aware of any" narco pacts.

I know nothing! (couldn't help this one)

AMLO reconciles with Televisa, concocts scheme to get media exposure

A picture worth the front page of today's Milenio: AMLO greeting and being interviewed by Televisa's Joaquín López-Dóriga:

From Milenio

AMLO, as is well known, has long had a feud with Televisa, accusing them of a media black out of his movement. Apparantly this has now come to an end. There are a million things to criticize this network for, and very rightly so, though I find the claim of a black of AMLO in the media quite laughable - he has been appearing pretty much constantly in print but also electronic media the past years.

Note as well that since the left has now decided on a common candidate, AMLO won't have access to state-provided TV and Radio time to promote his nomination. So guess what AMLO then will try to do? To "debate" other fake "candidates" to pretend the nomination has been not decided yet, in order to get the added media exposure.

If anyone think AMLO has become any more respectful of institutions and the rules of the game over the years... I am afraid they will have to think again.

Cartoon of the day...

I am stealing today's cartoon in El Universal, as it is just too funny not to be shared:

Andrés Manuel López Obrador will be the left's 2012 candidate

The results of the poll were finally made public this morning: Andrés Manuel López Obrador will be the candidate of the PRD, PT and MC for the 2012 election.

The PRD will in 2012 be a party with a 23-year history, yet merely two presidential candidates.

I truly hope I am mistaken, but as far as I can see, this all but assures that the next president of Mexico will be  Enrique Peña Nieto, and that the PRI will return to Los Pinos.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador will again be the left's candidate for 2012

Andrés Manuel López Obrador will be the left's candidate in 2012, according to the results of the two polls released today. That is, he is the "best positioned" in the two polls he and Marcelo Ebrard had commissioned. He will now run on a coalition likely consisting of the PRD, the PT, and Movimiento Ciudadano.

Watch the conference now, live from Milenio TV 

Cynical quote of the day

Enrique Peña Nieto, ex governor of Mexico State and likely PRI presidential candidate, is again in Washington, DC, appearing at the Woodrow Wilson Center. There, speaking of the needed structural reforms in Mexico,  he declared,

"Neither the left nor the right, have the optimum conditions, as shown, to undertake these reforms"

How bold. This, after the federal legislators controlled by Peña Nieto in the Chamber of Deputies has sabotaged and blocked virtually every major legislative initiative the past couple of years. Cynical quote of the day.

Michoacán governor election, more results and data

* According to the PREP (preliminary results based on quick count), PRI won the governorship with 35.39 percent of the votes

* PRI won 11 local deputies for congress, PRD 8, and PAN 5

* PRI won 46 out of 113 municipalities (with PVEM alliance in several), PRD and allies 30 (down from 41), and PAN 27 (up from 20)

* 54.2 percent of voters participated.

* Silvano Aureoles Conejo, the left's candidate, says Sunday's election in Michoacán should be annulled, given what he says was massive federal intervention in the election, threats against PRD militants, and PRI collusion with organized crime.

* Do does Cocoa, president Calderón's sister and PAN's candidate. She also demands a vote-by-vote recount, and the count of 879 ballot boxes that were not counted by the PREP. I looked at the PREP and made references to these here. I think, too, these should be counted again.

* The winner according to the PREP, Fausto Vallejo Figueroa, denies any narco ties.

* Yet Manuel Camacho Solís, coordinator of the Diálogo para la Reconstrucción de México (DIA) left front of PRD, PT and MC, says the left should accept the results.

* The federal attorney general's office is investigating 42 concrete cases in relation to the election