Violence haunts Mexico's election campaign

AFP: One murdered candidate, others threatened, bodyguards assigned to gubernatorial wannabes and calls for a boycott: The June election campaign in Mexico's Wild West is off to a rough start.

The June 7 mid-term vote for federal and state seats will be the first major ballot test for President Enrique Pena Nieto, almost half-way through his six-year term. Read more.

Analysis: Honeymoon wears off for Mexico president's reform push

Reuters
By Simon Gardner and Anahi Rama
MEXICO CITY,  Fri Feb 15, 2013

A political pact forged with rivals and a couple of key laws already under his belt, Mexico's new President Enrique Pena Nieto got off to a strong start, but he faces hurdles to push through deep economic reforms.

Armed with a wide-reaching agenda, the 46-year-old former state governor wants to overhaul Mexico's tax system, state oil monopoly Pemex, a telecoms sector dominated by the world's richest man, Carlos Slim, and competition regulations in a bid to modernize the economy and boost growth to 6 percent a year.

Despite lacking an outright majority in Congress, Pena Nieto managed to push the 2013 budget barely a week after taking office on December 1 and passed a landmark education bill after sealing a broad accord dubbed the "Pact for Mexico" with leftist and conservative opponents.

But his plans may be starting to slip.

"Some were far too quick to voice optimism during the typical honeymoon of a new government," said Gabriela Cuevas, a senator for the opposition conservative National Action Party (PAN). "It's not that simple."  Read more. 

Transparency in Mexico: Information doesn't come easily

Christian Science Monitor: In Mexico it can be a long, frustrating pursuit for members of civil society or journalists to get even basic information from the government, despite an institution created to make it easier.

By Lauren Villagran. MEXICO CITY - A decade after Mexico created its Federal Institute for Access to Information (IFAI), civil society has more access to information on the federal government’s activities than ever before.

President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto – whose campaign was marred by accusations of vote buying and corruption – has proposed extending transparency requirements to state and local governments. He is pushing, too, for an anti-corruption panel and a citizen-led agency to oversee government spending.

On Thursday night, Mexico’s seven-member Federal Electoral Tribunal ruled unanimously to dismiss a complaint that this summer's election was marred by fraud, clearing the way for Mr. Peña Nieto to assume the presidency on Dec. 1. Read more.

#IAM132 Statement on Today's Symbolic Occupation of Televisa

Note: I attended the National Convention in Atenco and the proposed protest of Televisa was the most controversial action adopted. The day after, many press outlets reported that the #IAm132 movement was splitting with the Convention due to disagreement with the Action Plan, especially the Televisa action. This was never true. The agreement always allowed for member organizations to carry out assemblies to decide if they would participate- and how they would participate- in all the activities. The #IAm132 Movement and most of the other organizations at the Convention operate on the basis of assemblies. This video (in Spanish)  is an excellent explanation of that form of organization. Because of those rumors, and because the protest against Televisa that begins tonight at 8:00 PM and continues all day tomorrow is the second important action after the July 22 march, we publish below the statement on the decision of the Mexico City assemblies to participate in a "peaceful, symbolic occupation" of Televisa, in keeping with the movement's commitment to non-violent action. Laura


YoSoy132. Original Americas Program Translation. The Convention against the Imposition held in San Salvador Atenco July 14-15 and called by the Front of Peoples in Defense of the Land and the #|Am132 Movement agreed on an action plan for mobilizations against the imposition of Enrique Peña Ñieto. Regarding this, the assemblies of the [Mexico City] metropolitican area declare:
1) Our assemblies met and assumed the agreements reached at the Convention as our own and announced the participation of our assemblies in the action to be carried out at Televisa.
2) by consensus, our assemblies decided that the action for Friday, July 27 in front of Televisa Chapultepec will be of a civil and peaceful nature as a human chain around the installations, maintaining the pacific principle of our movement.
3) This protest will be held to denounce the media chain's daily manipulation and especially in the past electoral process and of the role the company has played in the imposition of Enrique Peña Nieto.
4) This chain wil be held in coordination with the grassroots movements united at the Convention, headed by the Front of Peoples in Defense of the Land, the Electricians Union (SME), the Naitonal Coordinating Body of Education Workers (CNTE, among others.
5) We invite all citizens to support this initiative by gathering at 8:00 PM Thursday, July 26 at the Monument of the Revolution to march to Televisa Chapultepec and create the peaceful human chain that will last 24 hours. During the action of the chain there will be cultural and symbolic activities to demonstrate our rejection of the television monopoly, since the #IAm132 Movement recognizes the importance and legitimacy of culture as a form of resistance, protest, denouncement and struggle. We invite all communications media to cover the statement to the press we will release at 10 PM.
6) We demand guarantees to our constitutional rights of free assembly, considering that we are exercising an act of peaceful civil disobedience that does not attempt to enter the company's offices and will not use violence or aggression of any kind against any member of the company's personnel, since our struggle is against the media monopolies, de facto powers, the political power of the television network and not against its staff or public guards. For this reason, we will not block the exit of the building and it will be a peaceful chain, with our own bodies creating the links surrounding the television headquarters. We reject any attempt to criminalize our movement or any participant in the human chain.
7) We call on our organizations, collectives, movements, networks and citizens in general to respect and participate in this peaceful chain, avoiding any confrontation with the police or company security. In case of suffering any attack or provocation by consensus we have decided to NOT respond with violence but with peaceful civil resistance by sitting on the ground.  We announce that no one will march with a hooded head or covered face, nor will it be allowed to carry objects or any type of arms that could present risks to the action. Of course, no one will be able to participate under the influence of drugs or alcohol. With this decision by consensus of all the assemblies of #IAm132 of the metropolitan area we maintain our unity.
8) We send greetings to the mobilizations that will be held throughout the country and respectful of their decisions of each state, city or school, however, we call on them to avoid any provocation in carrying out their demonstrations within the framework of the action plan against the imposition. We invite all citizens and organizations to join this effort that is of everyone.

ASSEMBLIES OF THE METROPOLITAN AREA OF #yosoy132
AND SOCIAL, CIVIL AND POPULAR ORGANIZATIONS, UNIONS,PARTICIPANTS IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AGAINST THE IMPOSITION
Cd. De México, UIC Universidad InterContinental, Académicos UNAM, Universidad Iberoamericana, Facultad de Química, Colegio de México, Universidad Autónoma de Chapingo, Universidad del Anáhuac, Facultad d Ciencias, UAM – Xochimilco, Posgrados UNAM, Universidad La Salle- Neza, ITAM Río honda, ENAH,TEC Monterrey Cd. México, UACM Cuautepec, ENP – 9, Fac Odontología –UNAM, IPN – ESCATepepan, Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica, Facultad de Arquitectura, UACM CentroHistórico, Acampada Revolución, Instituto Mora, Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas, Yosoy132Nicolás Romero – Estado de México, CCH Oriente, Facultad dFilosofía y Letras, Prepa TEC CCM,Yosoy132 Internacional, FES Iztacala, UACM – Iztapalapa, Facultad de Psicología, CentroUniversitario de Educación Superior, UAM-Cuajimalpa, Facultad de Economía –UNAM, Movimientode Aspirantes a la Educación Superior, Escuela Nacional de Trabajo Social, UAM- I Posgrado, UNP,UPN, Prepa 2, UCSJ, Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria yZootecnia, FES CUAUTITLAN, DERECHO UNAM, Lasalle Prepa, Lasalle Cd México, Escuela Libre deDerecho, Facultad de Contaduría y Administración, UVM San Rafael , Académicos metropolitanos,CCH VALLEJO, Prepa 3, Prepa 5, UACM –Del Valle, LaSalle San Fernando, LaSalle DF, LaSalle Neza,Bachillerato 4, ITAM Sta. Teresa, FES ACATLÁN, UAM Azcapotzalco, Facultad de Filosofía y letras, Asamblea Zona Norte EdoMex., UVM indios verdes, CCH Azcapotzalco, FES Zaragoza.