Eruviel Ávila, PRI's candidate for governor in Mexico State, openly offers rewards for vote promotion: Those in his campaign who "promote" the vote most efficiently, will be rewarded with public office, cars, household appliances, or positions in the party.
Luis Videgaray, head of the Mexico State PRI branch, defended the practice as "legitimate."
What more evidence does one need that the "New PRI" of Enrique Peña Nieto is exactly the same as the old PRI? The PRI governed Mexico for 71 years and has governed the miserable Mexico State for 82.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Marcelo Ebrard's inspirations: Lula and Felipe González
Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard said in an interview with Milenio that his "great hope" was to run a national government from 2012 like that of Brazil´s Lula da Silva (2003-2011) or Spain´s socialist prime minister (1982-1996) Felipe González, locating his ideological and political views squarely on the centre-left.
I find it hard to imagine AMLO making any similar international references (he earlier, as it were, rejected any of these three referents, in 2005).
I find it hard to imagine AMLO making any similar international references (he earlier, as it were, rejected any of these three referents, in 2005).
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Michoacán: Tierra Caliente violence as La Familia splinters?
Mexican marines arrived in Apatzingán municipality Thursday, following of days of narco fighting that has left thousands of people homeless. Apatzingán lies in Michoacán's Tierra Caliente region, and is the home turf of La Familia Michoacàna. What appears particularly noteworthy is that the violence appears due to infighting within La Familia, with a new organization, named Los Caballeros Templarios, seemingly taking on old allies in La Familia, headed by José de Jesús "El Chango" Méndez. Most of Michoacán´s violence, as far as I can tell, has earlier been between La Familia and the Zetas, and the seeming split in the former appears a new development.
Various refugee shelters have been set up for the thousands of people, mostly poor agricultural workers, who have been affected by the violence and forced to flee from their home, particularly from the town of Buenavista close to Apatzingán. Even the BBC has picked up the story.
Notably - and this took me quite by surprise - PAN and the PRD, and seemingly also PRI, did not only agree to a "civility pact" in the state, which has elections coming up in November, but also a common gubernatorial candidacy, something promoted particularly by PAN and PRD´s presidents, Gustavo Madero, and Jesús Zambrano. Earlier, Governor Leonel Godoy expressed strong opposition to the idea, yet now seems more open. Whatever will come out of it, it is an indication that the national parties are well aware that Michoacán is facing an immense onslaught from organized crime, and that new options are now on the table.
Various refugee shelters have been set up for the thousands of people, mostly poor agricultural workers, who have been affected by the violence and forced to flee from their home, particularly from the town of Buenavista close to Apatzingán. Even the BBC has picked up the story.
Notably - and this took me quite by surprise - PAN and the PRD, and seemingly also PRI, did not only agree to a "civility pact" in the state, which has elections coming up in November, but also a common gubernatorial candidacy, something promoted particularly by PAN and PRD´s presidents, Gustavo Madero, and Jesús Zambrano. Earlier, Governor Leonel Godoy expressed strong opposition to the idea, yet now seems more open. Whatever will come out of it, it is an indication that the national parties are well aware that Michoacán is facing an immense onslaught from organized crime, and that new options are now on the table.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Madero vs. Calderón
Yet another case in point that relations between president Felipe Calderón and PAN president Gustavo Madero are hardly stellar: Following the proclamations of support by a range of prominent PAN members, linked directly to the president and his wife, of the presidential ambitions of Ernesto Cordero, Madero remarked in an interview that the letter was "inconvenient," "doesn't contribute" to the process," and "creates inappropriate pressure."
Abraham González Uyeda, who in 2004 lent his ranch to Felipe Calderón for his candidacy declaration, said he would gladly lend it to Cordero for his announcement.
Will history again be repeated as farce when it comes to the PAN presidential nomination?
Abraham González Uyeda, who in 2004 lent his ranch to Felipe Calderón for his candidacy declaration, said he would gladly lend it to Cordero for his announcement.
Will history again be repeated as farce when it comes to the PAN presidential nomination?
Calderón's PAN rallies behind Ernesto Cordero as presidential candidate
A group of 134 prominent panistas declared their support for Ernesto Cordero as PAN's presidential candidate in 2012 in a manifesto entitled "United with Ernesto." They included notably the governors of the Bajas, Puebla, and Sonora, and the family of the deceased Juan Camilo Mouriño, former PAN leader César Nava, and a range of senators, deputies, subsecretaries and other members of PAN closely linked to President Felipe Calderón and his wife Margarita Zavela (including her personal secretary).
The full letter can be accessed here, on the conveniently entitled Web page, unidosconernesto.mx/
I don´t buy earlier suggestions that Calderón is merely using Cordero as some kind of "decoy": This is his preferred successor.
The full letter can be accessed here, on the conveniently entitled Web page, unidosconernesto.mx/
I don´t buy earlier suggestions that Calderón is merely using Cordero as some kind of "decoy": This is his preferred successor.
Guerrero: Aguirre goes after Torreblanca
Guerrero Governor Ángel Aguirre requested the intervention of the federal audit, or the Auditoría Superior de la Federación (ASF) to investigate the whereabouts of more than seven billion pesos meant for the state education ministry, but mysteriously missing.
Right now, Pricewaterhouse Coopers is undertaking an audit of the administration of Zeferino Torreblanca (2005-2011), and education secretary Silvia Romero Suáre suggested that much more is yet to come.
We'll see.
Earlier this year, El Universal published several damning indictment of Torreblanca's administration (here and here). His supporters claimed improved public infrastructure, given more than 6,000 public works commissioned by the administration, yet he left behind a state overrun by organized crime - in violence, Guerrero is only surpassed by Chihuahua and Durango (45/100,000) - and with severe setbacks in health and education Particularly damning is an increase in mortality rates. A third of Guerrero's inhabitants live in extreme poverty, and illiteracy is rife. Zeferino also proved inept in resolving political crimes such as the much-publicized murder of Armando Chavarría, president of the state congress, in 2009. He broke completely with the party that postulated him, PRD, which he never joined. The PRD was able to elect Aguirre in spite of, and not because of, Zeferino's lackluster administration.
Yet he had his supporters - among them President Felipe Calderón, who defended Torreblanca, yet appeared incapable of taking note of any particular achievement.
Zeferino´s own pathetic defense? If the state of Guerrero is a disaster, it´s because the entire country is a disaster. A more damning admission, impossible.
Right now, Pricewaterhouse Coopers is undertaking an audit of the administration of Zeferino Torreblanca (2005-2011), and education secretary Silvia Romero Suáre suggested that much more is yet to come.
We'll see.
Earlier this year, El Universal published several damning indictment of Torreblanca's administration (here and here). His supporters claimed improved public infrastructure, given more than 6,000 public works commissioned by the administration, yet he left behind a state overrun by organized crime - in violence, Guerrero is only surpassed by Chihuahua and Durango (45/100,000) - and with severe setbacks in health and education Particularly damning is an increase in mortality rates. A third of Guerrero's inhabitants live in extreme poverty, and illiteracy is rife. Zeferino also proved inept in resolving political crimes such as the much-publicized murder of Armando Chavarría, president of the state congress, in 2009. He broke completely with the party that postulated him, PRD, which he never joined. The PRD was able to elect Aguirre in spite of, and not because of, Zeferino's lackluster administration.
Yet he had his supporters - among them President Felipe Calderón, who defended Torreblanca, yet appeared incapable of taking note of any particular achievement.
Zeferino´s own pathetic defense? If the state of Guerrero is a disaster, it´s because the entire country is a disaster. A more damning admission, impossible.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
The end of the Mexican president's pocket veto
A notable legislative reform: The Permanent Commission of the Mexican Senate declared valid a constitutional reform that eliminates the so-called "pocket veto" of the Mexican president.
What this means in short is that while earlier the Mexican president could in certain cases allow bills to linger on indefinitely by not signing them, now the presidents of the Chamber of Deputies and of the Senate will have the authority to do so. Reportedly more than 52 legislative projects await the president's signature.
After now receiving approval from 19 state legislatures, the amendment to the Constitution, originally from 2008, will now become law as soon as it is published in the Diario Oficial.
What this means in short is that while earlier the Mexican president could in certain cases allow bills to linger on indefinitely by not signing them, now the presidents of the Chamber of Deputies and of the Senate will have the authority to do so. Reportedly more than 52 legislative projects await the president's signature.
After now receiving approval from 19 state legislatures, the amendment to the Constitution, originally from 2008, will now become law as soon as it is published in the Diario Oficial.
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