Mexico's Movement for Real Democracy

"Mexico, Without the PRI", "Electoral Institute, You Coward-Correct the Elections!" and "Mexico Voted and Peña Didn't Win!"-men and women chanted these slogans through downtown avenues in the latest demonstration, vowing that the politician best known for his hair-...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Foreign Policy in Focus 2012, p.N_A
Main Author: Carlsen, Laura
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
Democracy
Demonstrations & protests
Election results
Lopez Obrador, Andres Manuel
Pena Nieto, Enrique
Presidential elections
Voter fraud
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Summary:"Mexico, Without the PRI", "Electoral Institute, You Coward-Correct the Elections!" and "Mexico Voted and Peña Didn't Win!"-men and women chanted these slogans through downtown avenues in the latest demonstration, vowing that the politician best known for his hair-do and ties to old-style Mexican politics would never take office. Most of the marchers are university-age, but contingents of workers, neighborhood associations, and citizens of all ages take part. Few people predicted Mexico's post-electoral protests or the rapid rise of the youth-led movement against Peña Nieto. The PRI learned from its loss to Vicente Fox in 2000 and the convulsive post-electoral protests of 2006, when conservative candidate Felipe Calderon was declared the winner with the slimmest of margins and widespread accusations of fraud. It set out to avoid both scenarios, grooming its candidate years earlier to position him as the image of the "new PRI." The [Obama] administration's rush to affirm support for the embattled candidate is not a sign of enthusiasm for the return of the PRI. The U.S. government clearly would have preferred another conservative government in Mexico. The National Action Party swung the door wide open to greater U.S. involvement in the country. Agencies including the DEA, ATF, CIA, and FBI as well as"retired" military personnel now participate in and operate Mexico's disastrous internal security policies. Felipe Calderon's war on drugs proved the perfect vehicle for breaking down resistance to U.S. intervention and making huge inroads in its regional security plan, which includes integrating Mexico into its "regional security perimeter."
ISSN:1524-1939