Mientras EPN da una lección en el arte de engañar a la gente "con circos y tortillas"
Forty days remain before Mexico will pick a successor to Felipe Calderón. Front-runner Enrique Peña Nieto and his well-oiled campaign machinery remain firmly in control of the situation, despite last weekend's vocal and well-covered national protests against a return of PRI. EPN actually rose to almost 48% popularity in today's Milenio poll -- around double that of each of his two main opponents. Curiously, most of the real action and not a little of the political focus remains on the runner-up spot, which is hotly contested between PAN's Josefina Vázquez Mota and PRD's Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Although the numbers change daily, each has averaged about 25% support in recent weeks. Many undecideds remain, it should be noted -- perhaps 20% of eligible voters.
Senior officials of PAN and PRD today called upon the opposing candidates to resign from the race in favor of their own nominees, to prevent a return of PRI to the presidency. The loudest call was by PAN functionaries, urging López Obrador to quit. Some would argue, especially after last weekend, that it should be the other way around. Some believe (as I do), that the only person who might stop Peña Nieto now is AMLO. It's pretty clear that PRI itself sees things the same way (López Obrador again in 2nd place in post-debate survey; is Peña Nieto sweating?: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.mx/2012/05/lopez-obrador-again-in-2nd-place-in.html#more). Both camps flatly rejected the call to withdraw.
Enrique's "bold political manifesto"
Stumping hard today, Enrique Peña Nieto acknowledged the widespread weekend street protests against him (it would be hard not to, given ceaseless TV coverage). He promised that he will be a president for everyone, although he understands that he "cannot rule by unanimity." He assured audiences that the PRI authoritarianism of an earlier generation (amazing that he would dare to admit such) will not be the style of his own administration. EPN promised a government based upon the cornerstones of democracy, and presented a 10 point bullet list of fundamental guarantees:
1. Freedom of political protest.
2. Freedom of expression (speech).
3. Freedom of the press (coupled with protection of the press and enhanced cooperation between the government and the private media, to insure the flow of public information).
4. Protection of human rights.
5. Religious freedom.
6. Prohibition of discrimination against racial and ethnic minorities, foreigners, migrant populations and the disabled (there was no express mention of gays).
7. Respect for the separation of governmental powers (executive, legislative and judicial).
8. Fair, free and open elections.
9. Transparency and accountability in the exercise of governmental functions at all levels, especially with respect to the use of public funds.
10. Respect for the the bedrock constitutional principle of federalism (the shared exercise of political power between Mexico's federal government and the autonomous 32 states).
Observations
EPN's manifesto of legal rights is impressive on paper, but I'm left wondering if anyone will point out the obvious: each and every one of the 10 pledges is already a core component of Mexican law, and has been for a long time. All of these key guarantees are covered by existing constitutional provisions -- the elemental law of the Republic -- or are the subject of affirmative legislation (statues), international treaties to which the country is a party or decisions of the Supreme Judicial Court of Mexico. The list proposes no new legal rights. But how many voters in this nation will understand that, especially those at the margin?
Imagine if in this election year Barack Obama or Mitt Romney promised American voters "new" constitutional liberties to be collectively known as the Bill of Rights, failing to remind them that those rights have been in existence since the last decade of the 18th century. That's what EPN did today. Note that Peña Nieto is a licenciado en derecho - an attorney. Many Mexicans, especially those with minimal education, adulate lincenciados, regarding them as the ultimate fount of wisdom on all things legal. It's easy to deceive such voters.
The Institutional Revolutionary Party and its 2012 presidential candidate have promised to Mexicans basic rights they already enjoy, and in some instances rights to which they have been entitled since independence from Spain was declared 202 years ago. In the Roman Empire, politicking in such manipulative fashion was referred to as giving the masses their "bread and circuses." In Mexico, engañar con los circos y las tortillas works just the same.
Elecciones guatemaltecas: circo y tortillas: http://elquetzalteco.com.gt/11.08.2011/?q=opiniones/elecciones_circo_y_tortillas
López Obrador loyalists march as thousands protest Enrique Peña Nieto: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.mx/2012/05/lopez-obrador-loyalists-march.html.
Mexico's presidential campaign begins: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.mx/2012/03/mexicos-presidential-campaign-opens.html#more.
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