that democracy in Mexico is a
farce. I rarely involve myself in anything political here, but the situation Mexico is going through is just too much and it needs as much attention from the international community as it can get. As you may or may not know, the last 1st of July Mexico supposedly elected a new president. I say supposedly because the whole process was stained with all kinds of
irregularities.
It all started months (years?) before, where, as has been reported by "The Guardian", the
media manipulation of the public opinion in favour of a presidential candidate was
undeniable. There is documented evidence of
massive vote-buying of at least 5 million votes, arithmetic errors in the recount of the votes, statistical abnormalities in the behaviour of the vote counting mathematical curves, serious violations to the people’s right to vote freely and confidentially, illicit funds and money laundering to finance the electoral campaign.
Enrique Peña Nieto represents a party that was in power for 70 years without interruption since 1929. As "Le monde diplomatique" puts it, his coming to power would represent the
return to the perfect dictatorship. His party has a long story of corruption, impunity and all kinds of violence against the population (remember the
Tlatelolco massacre in 1968?). As Mexican academic
John Ackerman states: "Peña Nieto is
a wolf in sheep's clothing. He hides behind a telegenic smile and sharp attire, but he represents Mexico's old corrupt political class". A clear example of this is the
massacre of San Salvador Atenco. In 2006, the inhabitants of San Salvador Atenco were victims of repression and witnessed illegal detentions (including 5 foreigners who were deported), sexual abuse, and rape from the hands of the police as well as its official endorsement by the government, then headed by no other than Enrique Pena Nieto. The state of Mexico, where Peña Nieto just finished a six-year stint as governor shows us a terrible panorama where homicide and poverty rates have skyrocketed and "femicides" -- targeted killing of women -- are common.
The numerous abnormalities during the electoral process should be enough to cancel the electoral process. The student group "
Yo soy 132" among others call for the international community and governments of the world not to recognize Enrique Peña Nieto as Mexico's president, should he come to power this December.
