Thursday, July 06, 2006
MEXICAN DEMOCRACY: WHAT A SHORT STORY!
During the 2000 Mexican elections, when Vicente Fox was running for the presidency, the Alianza Civica and other groups which monitored the elections came to realize that many types of electoral fraud which had been used were too subtle to be detectable at the polling stations.
In many areas, particularly in south-eastern Mexico, there emerged different patterns of repression and intimidation techniques used by army patrols, police and paramilitary organizations which made it next to impossible to guarantee any human rights. This year, a similar pattern emerged in Atenco and Oaxaca.
Other events which were of significance and threaten the democratic process were: irregularities of campaign finances, unequal distribution of information, unequal access to media, and the use of state resources to boost the campaign of the government's candidate.
Also, last year the Mexican Congress used seriously shady criminal charges to impeach and ban the leading candidate, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, from running in this year's presidential election. That was seen as the President's form of using underhanded tactics to keep its grip on power. (Lopez Obrador was accused of disregarding a court order to stop the construction of a short access road leading to a hospital.) More than a million people gathered in the main square of the capital city, and around the world Mexicans marched peacefully and called for a democratic self-rule. The impeachment decision was then overruled.
Also, worth noting was that at a very late time, the Federal Election Institute, (IFE) which regulates the electoral process, had to ban some of the television spots as they were too false to be on the air and others simply too rude. Regretfully, it is under these conditions that the Mexican elections took place. A systematic and very aggressive ad campaign against Mr. Lopez Obrador had been all over the media. Also the IFE had to intervene and ask Vicente Fox to discontinue taking sides in the elections (an illegal action for the President). Recently, after months of continuous aggression, the Institute voted to cancel ads and TV spots which call Mr. López Obrador, "a danger for Mexico". The institute finally realized that these ads constituted defamation and slander.
IFE also fined the National Action Party $14,000 for its part in encouraging José María Aznar, Spain's former prime minister, to lend his full support for the conservative candidate, Mr. Calderón.
No one has been criticized more than Mr. Fox, who has used his office and official events to campaign for Mr. Calderón and to attack Mr. López Obrador. The president has spent public money of hundreds of millions on service ads touting what he deems successful social service programs, the same ones Mr. Calderón has promised to keep. Thousands of e-mails had been sent from federal governmental computers with false information and data aiming to destroy the image of Lopez Obrador.
On July 2nd, the election day, during what seemed to be a clear and peaceful process, a series of awkward events started happening. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=15archive/&entry_id=6803
In the counting of the ballots many irregularities are being found.
López Obrador spoke to the press and called for a total recount. Felipe Calderon the Action Party candidate has rejected his opponent's demand that already sealed ballot boxes be opened and all the votes recounted, "vote by vote."
Because of those actions it is clear that this July 2nd, Mexicans did not have the chance to democratically elect a president, less even to have a chance to endorse democracy.
We, a group of Mexican residents and refugees living in Canada, want a Mexican President voted by majority and not the result of fraudulent actions.
We are asking the foreign governments to observe and analyze the irregularities in this process and help the Mexicans to their right of a real democracy.
MECAPASO
MEXICAN CANADIANS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
http://mecapaso.tripod.com/
mecapaso@hotmail.com
In many areas, particularly in south-eastern Mexico, there emerged different patterns of repression and intimidation techniques used by army patrols, police and paramilitary organizations which made it next to impossible to guarantee any human rights. This year, a similar pattern emerged in Atenco and Oaxaca.
Other events which were of significance and threaten the democratic process were: irregularities of campaign finances, unequal distribution of information, unequal access to media, and the use of state resources to boost the campaign of the government's candidate.
Also, last year the Mexican Congress used seriously shady criminal charges to impeach and ban the leading candidate, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, from running in this year's presidential election. That was seen as the President's form of using underhanded tactics to keep its grip on power. (Lopez Obrador was accused of disregarding a court order to stop the construction of a short access road leading to a hospital.) More than a million people gathered in the main square of the capital city, and around the world Mexicans marched peacefully and called for a democratic self-rule. The impeachment decision was then overruled.
Also, worth noting was that at a very late time, the Federal Election Institute, (IFE) which regulates the electoral process, had to ban some of the television spots as they were too false to be on the air and others simply too rude. Regretfully, it is under these conditions that the Mexican elections took place. A systematic and very aggressive ad campaign against Mr. Lopez Obrador had been all over the media. Also the IFE had to intervene and ask Vicente Fox to discontinue taking sides in the elections (an illegal action for the President). Recently, after months of continuous aggression, the Institute voted to cancel ads and TV spots which call Mr. López Obrador, "a danger for Mexico". The institute finally realized that these ads constituted defamation and slander.
IFE also fined the National Action Party $14,000 for its part in encouraging José María Aznar, Spain's former prime minister, to lend his full support for the conservative candidate, Mr. Calderón.
No one has been criticized more than Mr. Fox, who has used his office and official events to campaign for Mr. Calderón and to attack Mr. López Obrador. The president has spent public money of hundreds of millions on service ads touting what he deems successful social service programs, the same ones Mr. Calderón has promised to keep. Thousands of e-mails had been sent from federal governmental computers with false information and data aiming to destroy the image of Lopez Obrador.
On July 2nd, the election day, during what seemed to be a clear and peaceful process, a series of awkward events started happening. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=15archive/&entry_id=6803
In the counting of the ballots many irregularities are being found.
López Obrador spoke to the press and called for a total recount. Felipe Calderon the Action Party candidate has rejected his opponent's demand that already sealed ballot boxes be opened and all the votes recounted, "vote by vote."
Because of those actions it is clear that this July 2nd, Mexicans did not have the chance to democratically elect a president, less even to have a chance to endorse democracy.
We, a group of Mexican residents and refugees living in Canada, want a Mexican President voted by majority and not the result of fraudulent actions.
We are asking the foreign governments to observe and analyze the irregularities in this process and help the Mexicans to their right of a real democracy.
MECAPASO
MEXICAN CANADIANS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
http://mecapaso.tripod.com/
mecapaso@hotmail.com
# posted by Nancy T. @ 6:27 PM 
