IFE caves: No "cadena" of national debate

IFE's general council voted 7-2 to reject a cadena nacional, where Mexico's venomous media duopoly would simply be forced to transmit the first (of only two) presidential debates, shaping it principally in terms of "liberty," in the sense that IFE should simply not force the broadcast of the this mechanism, but presumably rely on more consensual methods. Yet what about the principle of equity?

Against the blatantly anti-democratic behavior of the two mass media chains Televisa and TV Azteca - yes, it is anti-democratic when a company has the privilege of a near monopoly public airways, awarded at bargain prices, yet refuses to use them for public good - how can one expect that either will be "persuaded" to air the debate on its prime-time star channels?

I am squarely with Alfredo Figueroa and Lorenzo Córdova here, the only two councilors who voted in favor of a cadena. To suggest that this would turn Mexico into a Venezuela-like scenario, where Hugo Chávez for sure has abused this mechanism beyond the pale, is absurd and extremely dishonest reasoning: This is the most important decision Mexican voters will make for the next six years, and all actors should facilitate the wide dissemination of a debate that will help make such a decision.

The very respected former IFE chief José Woldenberg - the man who set up presidential debates in Mexico in the first place - backed such a cadena. The counselors should have listened to him. As Figueroa noted,

There are two channels (television) that concentrate 90% of the radio-electric spectrum and because of individual decisions and for the sake of rating it can be said that much of the nation will be left without the ability to compare different policy options.

Please, no "But if they care so much, they'll find a way to watch it and they should be free to " etc type of arguments. This is not about serving - or not - democracy, pure and simple.

Why Mexico's media duopoly must be crushed

Yet another obvious reason why Mexico's Televisa-TV Azteca media duopoly must be ended:
The two national chains, which have for the past four years did all in their (very considerable) power to discredit IFE and the electoral reform that ended the lucrative political ad business, now refuse to broadcast the two national candidate debates on any prime time TV channel.

IFE Councilor Lorenzo Córdova put it very well:

This episode puts to test the fundamental commitment to democracy of Televisa and TV Azteca... The national chains are in the hands of two groups, and it would be desirable that they reconfirm this vocation.

It is not an irrelevant fact that PRI frontrunner Enrique Peña Nieto is desperate to avoid exposure of unscripted appearances, and the anti-democratic decision of the two chains are of tremendous help.

Note as well that Peña Nieto again bailed out of a debate: The woefully unprepared PRI frontrunner refused to participate in a presidential debate organized by Milenio, as did the inept PAN candidate Josefina Vázquez Mota, with the latter again declaring she would participate in no debate unless Peña Nieto appears.

It gets dirty: Vázquez Mota pulls out narco card

While I haven't been able to follow the admittedly uninspiring 2012 campaign nearly as closely as I should, given too many projects, it nonetheless seems to me that the campaign took a particular turn for the dirty with the following statement from Josefina Vázquez Mota:

Moreira and the PRI not only betrayed the people by pawning our future with an unpayable debtl they also betrayed Mexicans with their pact with organized crime, being a part of them, looking after the wealth generated by the killing, extorting or poisoning of our children.

Wow.

"Proceso" reporter murdered in Veracruz

Terrible news for investigative reporting in Mexico: Regina Martínez, a veteran reporter of 30 years, and with Proceso the past 10, was found murdered in Veracruz. She is the fourth journalist murdered in the state in the last year and a half.

It has been a while since the recognized news magazine Proceso stopped using the names of reporters in bylines in many narco stories, and the reason is unfortunately very clear: They have now become targets of organized crime.

Peña Nieto's cowardice

It is eminently rational, as Gancho noted, that when you're the 20-point front runner who is moreover prone to disaster in unscripted situations, you might want to limit your appearances as much as you can.

But it is hardly courageous of you. It is cowardice, and it deprives citizens from their democratic right to know and question their candidates.

* Peña Nieto cancels participating in a debate at the radio show of Carmen Aristegui, even though he had, quite stunningly, just this Sunday proclaimed to be the candidate "most interested in contrasting ideas." The train wreck of a PAN candidate, Josefina Vázquez Mota, was hardly any more courageous: She would only participate if Peña Nieto did (!).

* Peña Nieto had just days earlier canceled a promised appearance at the Iberoamericana university planned for today. Don't want to risk any tough questions from those pesky students, do we!
* He also cancelled appearing at a second university, whose name escapes me right now.

All this bodes very ill for the man unfortunately very likely to become Mexico's president: Neither the inept PAN candidate trying to run away from 12 mediocre years in power, or AMLO, who far too late and at least six years late is trying to present a more conciliatory image, is likely to be able to catch up.

But it does not mean it is impossible, even with only 9 weeks left to go.

PAN's narco mayors

While the national PAN at times is appearing to be disintegrating, witnessed both in the mess that is Josefina Vázquez Mota's presidential campaign, and the extremely dirty selection process for its legislative candidates, it also bears noting that since February, two PAN mayors have been arrested for their ties to the narcos and organized crime:

- Mauricio Herrera Fernández, mayor of Las Minas in Verarcruz, was arrested in an army checkpoint in Puebla with guns and drugs on Feb. 27.

On April 18, Martín Padua Zúñiga, also a Veracruz mayor in Chinameca was arrested with members of the Zetas, after a shoot out with the army.

PAN, of course, fully distanced itself from the mayor, claiming he was not even a member of the party, which appears to be a false claim.

It's been a long time since PAN's "clean hands" image was debased, and while this could of course happen in any party, it is notable that both mayors were panistas, especially given Calderón's full frontal assault on the narcos.

AMLO now no. 2

Let the poll speak:

Milenio

Note that this is not a mere single poll. In the ADN Poll of polls, he has as well overtaken the PAN candidate.