Alejandro Encinas backtracks: Will not be candidate in alliance with PAN

It is hardly a shocker, and is clearly the result of arm twisting by his political boss Andrés Manuel López Obrador: Even though Alejandro Encinas had earlier explicitly stated he would respect the result of a poll among party members that would decide whether PRD should ally with PAN for the upcoming Mexico State gubernatorial elections, he now announced that under no circumstances will he be a candidate for a PRD-PAN alliance.

This is quite remarkable: Having earlier hailed such a vote, Encinas now openly discredits and badmouths it.

The headline for my previous post on this matter was, "For real this time? Encinas would accept PAN alliance in Mexico State." Not, it was not for real.

Why is it so hard to resist whatever order comes from AMLO, even for a heavyweight like Encinas? 

PRI's dirty war in Mexico State has started: Antorchistas provide bus loads of potosinos

Police in Mexico State, to their credit, intercepted at least three bus loads of people from the state of San Luis Potosí, when they arrived in Mexico State to change, en masse, their residency from SLP to the colonias of Tultitlán, Villa Nicolás Romero and Atizapán de Zaragoza - areas where the PRI-affiliated "social movement" Antorchistas are strong. Ricardo Medina, in charge of a IFE branch where the potosinos wanted to change their address, said it was "very unusual" to see people doing so in this manner - quite an understatement!

It seems fairly obvious that this is just one more shot in PRI's dirty war to retain control of Mexico State. Through the Antorchistas, PRI is busing in loads of outsiders, changing their registry so that they can later vote in the state for the upcoming election. Already, more than 90 changes of residency were registered the past days in this particular IFE branch alone.

Indeed, María Eva García Hernández, an Antorchista leader, was traveling in one of the buses, but when approached by media denied any links to the group, and quickly disappeared from the scene.

Five months ahead of the election, the PRI's dirty war is well on its way.

AMLO reproaches chamber of deputies banner episode: Wrong message

To his credit, AMLO spoke out against the idiotic charade by Gerardo Fernández Noroña and friends in the Chamber of Deputies. The national legislator, with help from a couple of other PT and PRD legislators close to AMLO,  unveiled a huge banner with the text, "Would you let a drunkard drive your car? No, right? Why then would you let one run the country."

AMLO, in a meeting yesterday, said whether he is a drunk or not is a "personal question" and that one should be "respectful." Rather than displaying such a banner, AMLO said, "what they should have put is that "Calderón is a usurper."

The episode, which led to shouting and insults and threats of fistfights, eventually shut down congress.

How about not interrupting legislative sessions in congress with any banners at all?

Mexican air force in need of update, take II

As noted earlier, the Mexican air force is in bad need of an update, specifically of its fighter jets.

Now, the secretary of defense has requested the purchase of five (used) Hercules transport planes, while the Navy wants a similar number of planes and also helicopters, in order to move troops around more quickly.

What is really disturbing, given the increasing tasks of the armed forces, is the current abysmal level:
- Out of an original 12, only 2 - two - of SEDENA current Hercules are in a flying condition
- The Navy has a total of six Antonov transport planes, all in constant service, but not enough to cover demand.
- Out of the navy's 23 helicopters, only nine are operational; SEMAR is asking for six more helicopters.

Despite a combined price tag  of nearly a billion pesos these demands seem hardly excessive.
Graphic from El Universal:

Clara Brugada, after one year in power

Clara Brugada has now been one year in power as a jefa delegacional, or borough chief, of Iztapalapa. To recall: AMLO mounted the infamous Juanito charade in 2009, postulating a former  street vendor/bozer/stripper/rabble rouser/etc as a stand-in candidate for Brugada, who had lost the official PRD nomination. Things backfired when Juanito then decided he wanted to be a borough chief after all and refused to step down, as promised, in favor of Brugada, though he eventually complied.

However, one year after having assumed power as delegation chief, things are hardly looking better in Iztapalapa: According to PRD's Horacio Martínez, a Mexico City legislator, the borough is confronting the same problems of water shortage, flooding, and crime as before. To recall: These were the main three issues the Brugada/Juanito campaign had promised to immediately address.

In addition, the delegation is suffering from deep fissures or geological cracks, where thousands of families have been identified as in immediate need of relocation, and where many buildings have collapsed, including schools.

Brugada defended her administration, noting that only 10 schools (!) had collapsed on her watch.

Perhaps Iztapalapa would have been better off with Juanito after all.

El Jefe Diego is back in politics - in Baja California Sur

After weeks of confusing, crypitical, and contradictory statements regarding his captivity, Diego Fernández de Cevallos is now back to politicking: In Baja California Sur, ads were launched on the radio where Fernández calls upon voters to cast their lot with Marcos Covarrubias, the PRD federal deputy-turned-PAN-candidate. 

I wonder what the Misteriosos Desaparecedores will think about this.

Jesús Ortega responds to Leonel Cota, "grotesque and crude." Will AMLO?

PRD leader Jesús Ortega responded to the news that former party president and AMLO ultra-loyalist Leonel Cota has returned to backing the PRI:

"I can't really tell whether PRI will benefit or be harmed by the statement of Leonel Cota, mostly because of the inconsistencies in his militancy."

He's being too measured. Even the label "political prostitute" would hardly cover Cota's trajectory.