National: June 5 Election Results

June 5 elections @Sin Embargo

On June 5, one third of the Mexican electorate voted to elect governors in twelve states, mayors in 2,445 municipalities, and local deputies and constituent deputies in Mexico City.

The Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), the current party of the presidency, won five governments of the twelve at stake, regaining Oaxaca and Sinaloa; and holding Hidalgo, Zacatecas and Tlaxcala. In doing so, it fell short of the nine that its leader, Manlio Fabio Beltrones, had assured they would win beforehand. Nevertheless, it lost states that had not known another political hue in 90 years, such as Veracruz, Tamaulipas, Durango and Quintana Roo. Several analysts consider these results to be a punishment vote against those governments for their corruption and their inability to stop insecurity.

 The National Action Party (PAN) benefitted from the loss of votes and won seven governments (three in alliances with the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD)): Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Durango, Quintana Roo, Puebla, Veracruz and Tamaulipas. Its president, Ricardo Anaya, stated that, “if we do things well, the right-wing PAN will win back the presidency in 2018.”

For its part, the Movement for National Regeneration Party (Morena), managed to increase its presence but without wining any government. It came third in Veracruz and Zacatecas. On another note, the party managed to come first in the election for the Constituent Assembly of Mexico City (with 36.2% of the votes. Its advantage over PRD (with 31.5%) was less than Morena had hoped for. Abstention in the election at 71.7% was notable.

According to experts, the results of these elections are particularly relevant in outlining the political map on course to the presidential election of 2018. Some point out that the results for the 2017 elections are lacking, in particular, for the State of Mexico, one of the biggest of the country and which has always been governed by PRI. It is worth mentioning that the electoral campaigns before June 5 were marked by personal attacks between the contenders and by the lack of transparency about the management of electoral spending. Equally notorious is the fact that in Tamaulipas State, considered the most violent of the country, 59 candidates had to retire from the contest for fear of reprisals by organized crime.

For more information in Spanish:

Perdió el PRI cuatro de sus bastiones históricos (La Jornada, 7 de junio de 2016)

Arrasa el abstencionismo en la CDMX; Morena, primera fuerza (Proceso, 5 de junio de 2016)

Elecciones 2016: PAN se impone, PRI y PRD se hunden y Morena… equis (Sin Embargo, 6 de junio de 2016)

¿Quién gana y quién pierde en las elecciones de México? (Univisión, 6 de junio de 2016)

Las elecciones de México destapan la erosión del PRI (El País, 6 de junio de 2016)

Descalificaciones, dádivas y compra de votos dominan el panorama electoral 2016 (Aristegui Noticias, 5 de junio de 2016)

Chiapas: Las Abejas de Acteal Request Collection for Displaced Families

Collection during the displacement of Colonia Puebla in 2013. Photo: @Koman Ilel.

On May 26, a group of 14 families from Las Abejas de Acteal Civil Society, residents of Colonia Puebla, Chenalho municipality, Chiapas, were displaced fleeing the violence caused by the conflict after the elections in that municipality. The displacement happened after violent incidents between sympathizers of the recently dismissed mayor, Rosa Perez Perez of the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico (PVEM), and supporters of the new mayor, Miguel Santiz Alvarez, causing the death of two people, one of them a minor, who died from a bullet wound. The Chenalho Pedrano Movement, opponents of Perez Perez, said in a statement that they were attacked with “firearms, sticks, stones and machetes, in an ambush that was orchestrated by sympathizers of the ex-mayor.” Furthermore, there were “two houses burned, two destroyed, three vehicles destroyed and six people wounded”, according to the statement from Las Abejas.

Las Abejas noted that “until now, there are no conditions to return”, so that the displaced are currently in the headquarters of the organization. In another letter they outlined that, “the displaced from the colony are living through suffering. Therefore we ask you the favor of helping with supplies.” To this end, they have opened two collection centers for clothes in San Cristobal de Las Casas and they ask for financial support to be deposited in a bank account. According to La Jornada, the National Commission for Human Rights (CNDH) “requested the government of Chiapas to apply cautionary measures and guarantee the rights of the people who have been displaced.” The measures are aimed at guaranteeing rights to food, health, a home, physical integrity and the lives of the displaced.

It is worth noting that the disagreement following the result of the municipal elections in Chenalho, with the victory of PVEM, gave rise to the Chenalho Pedrano Movement in rejection of the elected mayor, accusing her of “corruption, abuse of power and diverting resources.” This group organized a takeover of the town hall and a number of government offices, it took over the State Congress for some hours, and it kidnapped three civil servants who were negotiating a solution to the disagreement, among them the President of the State Congress and a deputy. Having put them on public show, one dressed as a woman, Congress accepted the resignation of the mayor.

It is also worth mentioning that 17 families of Colonia Puebla were displaced by in August 2013 in the conflict between Catholics and Evangelicals in dispute over the land where Catholic hermitage was located. Almost 100 displaced people returned after eight months off their lands, denouncing the lack of law enforcement for their aggressors.

For more information in Spanish:

Los desplazados y desplazadas de la colonia puebla están viviendo bajo el sufrimientos. Entonces le pedimos un gran favor a que nos puedan colaborar en las despensas. (Sociedad Civil Las Abejas de Acteal, 7 de junio de 2016)

Hace apenas 8 días, jueves 26 de mayo, los miembros de la organización de la sociedad civil de las abejas de Acteal, en la colonia puebla se desplazaron 14 familias un total de 81 personas porque en esa misma colonia surgió nuevamente una gran violencia y balaceras a las 13:45pm hora normal. (Sociedad Civil Las Abejas de Acteal, 3 de junio de 2016)

Piden proteger a desplazados de Chenalhó (La Jornada, 31 de mayo de 2016)

For more information in SIPAZ:

Chiapas: Riesgo de más violencia en Chenalhó después de secuestro y cambio de alcalde (31 de mayo de 2016)

Chiapas : jóvenes denuncian violencia, impunidad y ausencia de justicia para Puebla (30 de abril de 2014)

Chiapas: regresan a su comunidad los desplazados de Ejido Puebla (15 de abril de 2014)

Chiapas:Incremento de la violencia en Colonia Puebla, Chenalhó (22 de julio de 2013)

Guerrero: Discontent One Year after the Murder of Antonio Vivar

Crowded funeral of Antonio Vivar in Tlapa de Comonfort, Guerrero, in June 2015. Photo: @SIDIDH.

A year after the murder of Antonio Vivar, dozens of social organizations and human rights groups denounced the lack of investigation into the events that occurred on election day in the state of Guerrero in June last year. On that day “the young activist Antonio Diaz Vivar [was] arbitrarily executed and dozens of people were subjected to arbitrary detention and cruel and inhumane treatment” according to the Integrated Information System on Human Rights (SIDIDH). Advocacy organizations recalled that the social unrest in the state “found no channels of dialogue”, leading to “a series of violent incidents between elements of the police and army along with groups of armed men linked to political parties, who had a confrontation with members of the Guerrero Popular Movement (MPG) and the State Coordinator of Education Workers of the State of Guerrero (CETEG) in the city of Tlapa de Comonfort “.

They also noted that the investigation into the murder of Antonio Vivar “has not made significant progress and has failed to carry out important measures, as well as not including the information that the National Human Rights Commission obtained about the involvement of federal forces.” For its part, the Tlachinollan Human Rights Center said that, “the public prosecutor of the federation dismissed the criminal action of the federal police and advocated collecting their testimonies, misrepresenting the events to make them seem like the injured parties.” In a statement they pointed out that the federal police declared that they had not carried firearms, they claim to have been held for several hours in a chapel and to have not known about the murder until the following day through the press. Added to this, they reported that the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) attempted to file the case without notifying the family of the MPG member. In response, the signatory organizations urged the PGR to initiate a thorough investigation and identify the responsibility of elements of the federal police.

 For more information in Spanish:

Tlachinollan | Exigen investigación diligente a un año de violencia electoral del 7 de junio en Guerrero (Red Nacional de Organismos Civiles de Derechos Humanos Todos los Derechos para Todas y Todos, 6 de junio de 2016)

Denuncian organizaciones falta de investigación por el asesinato del activista Antonio Díaz (Sistema Integral de Información en Derechos Humanos, 7 de junio de 2016)

ONG de Tlapa bloquean puente para exigir que resuelvan el caso de Toño Vivar (La Jornada Guerrero, 6 de junio de 2016)

OPINIÓN | Permiso para matar (Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña Tlachinollan, 6 de junio de 2016)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Guerrero: Marchan en Tlapa de Comonfort a un mes del asesinato de Antonio Vivar Díaz (10 de julio de 2015)

Guerrero: Gana PRI elecciones en contexto de violencia (9 de junio de 2015)

Chiapas: Muere un maestro en los enfrentamientos de oposición a la evaluación magisterial (10 de diciembre de 2015)

National/Chiapas/Oaxaca/Guerrero: Teachers’ Protests Update and EZLN Statement of Support

Teachers’ march in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas. Photo: @Colectivo del Periódico El Zenzontle.

Since May 15 last, dissident teachers adhering to the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE) and several sections of the National Union of Education Workers (SNTE) began an indefinite national strike to reject educational reform. Since that date, there have been many mobilizations by the opposing teachers in several states of the Mexican Republic.

In Chiapas, after fifteen days of the protests, there have been actions in the 122 municipalities of the state, while the Federal and State Governments have still not established a negotiating table, arguing that there is no going back on educational reform. The most notable actions were taking over 90 city halls to demand channels of dialogue with the government and the departure of the federal state police, according to the CNTE; the attempt to block the road from Tuxtla Gutierrez to Angel Albino Corzo airport, in response to which federal and state police dispersed the protesters with tear gas; the expulsion of the Federal Police from Chiapa de Corzo by its inhabitants or marches in more than 30 municipalities in the state in solidarity with the teachers. Also, there are constant roadblocks, there were takeovers of radio stations and gas stations in Tuxtla by opponents to the reform and several instances of repression with the use of rubber bullets, tear gas and overflights by state and federal forces in the area of the teachers’ picket. On another note, six school directors and supervisors had their heads shaved and were publicly exposed with posters with their names and accusations of “traitors” or “charros” in Comitan de Dominguez. Chiapas Paralelo noted that members of groups such as the Popular Movement of Comitan (MPC), the Regional Democratic Front of Workers and Campesinos (FDROC) and the Emiliano Zapata Proletarian Organization (OPIEZ) were behind the events, motivated by the discovery of lists of teachers who are not joining the protests. One of the shaved teachers reported being pressured by the Ministry of Public Education (SEP) to report what is happening in the teachers’ strike: “we are being asked for documentation of colleagues who did not join the strike, who are not picketing.” 1,134 layoffs of teachers and non-teaching staff who participated in the strike have been announced.

In Oaxaca, thousands of parents and teachers participated in a mega-march to reject educational reform. It denounced the smear campaign that the State Public Education Institute of Oaxaca (IEEPO) is promoting against striking teachers. The SEP declared the teachers’ strike is not resonating among teachers, estimating that 97% continue to work, while the striking teachers assure that 90% of federal schools are closed. In that state, the teachers maintain a sit-in in the square of the capital, Oaxaca de Juarez, and also to demand a negotiating table with and the elected leaders, the release of 11 prisoners from the teachers’ movement and the cancellation of outstanding arrest warrants awaiting enforcement. There were also roadblocks, including land access to the state airport, removal of propaganda for the upcoming elections, and takeovers of offices and shopping centers. In that state, 3,360 teachers have been dismissed for not submitting to the teaching evaluation, and their reinstatement is demanded.

There have also been multiple actions in Guerrero. Thousands of people marched repeatedly in different municipalities in solidarity with the teachers, demanding the repeal of educational reform and to guarantee decent working conditions for teachers. In Chilpancingo the city hall was taken over by members of the CNTE and the Guerrero State Coordinator of Education Workers (CETEG), while the Sol Highway was blocked on several occasions. 500 injunctions against the layoffs announced by the SEP were filed, while the Guerrero Ministry of Education (SEG) began applying salary sanctions to the strikers. The prevention of teachers’ protests by government forces near the town Tres Palos where President Enrique Peña Nieto was conducting an event stood out.

There have been many expressions of support and solidarity with the teachers’ struggle. For its part, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) published a statement signed by the Insurgent Sub-Commanders Moses and Galeano. In it they denounced that “the so-called ‘educational reform’ is not educational, it is labor”, which “claims to defend the constitution (educational reform), violating the constitution” and that the media do not show the reality of the situation but report that most of the teachers are working. The EZLN also stated that teachers are not demanding privileges but are fighting basic working conditions, to avoid “the aim of educational reform”, which, they believe, “is to privatize education.” They also denounced the criminalization of the teachers’ struggle, disapproving of teachers being labeled as “slackers” and denying that they “do not want to prepare.” According to reports from a “listener”, “people in the houses shout support for the teachers. And in the street they give them water, fruit. It’s obvious that they love the teachers who struggle.”

For more information in Spanish:

 MAYO: ENTRE EL AUTORITARISMO Y LA RESISTENCIA. (Enlace Zapatista, 30 de mayo de 2016)

Organizaciones sociales agreden a maestros que no participan en el paro laboral (Chiapas Paralelo, 31 de mayo de 2016)

Chiapas, 15 días de rebelión magisterial (Chiapas Paralelo, 29 de mayo de 2016)

Como nunca tras Reforma Educativa, padres y organizaciones se solidarizan con magisterio (videos) (Servicios para una Educación Alternativa, 30 de mayo de 2016)

Organizaciones sociales y familias de Guerrero, contra la reforma educativa (Sistema Integral de Información en Derechos Humanos, 1 de junio de 2016)

Cetegistas protestaron cerca de donde el Presidente hacía una gira de trabajo (La Jornada Guerrero, 31 de mayo de 2016)

Marcha Ceteg en Iguala contra la reforma educativa; rechaza la evaluación docente (La Jornada Guerrero, 25 de mayo de 2016)

Aplicó la SEG descuentos a maestros en paro estatal, denuncia líder de la Ceteg (La Jornada Guerrero, 28 de mayo de 2016)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Nacional: Paro laboral indefinido del magisterio disidente a la reforma laboral (19 de mayo de 2016)

Chiapas/Oaxaca/Guerrero/Nacional: Criminalización de la protesta social (19 de abril de 2016)

Chiapas/Oaxaca/Guerrero: Protestas del magisterio contra la reforma educativa en varios estados (25 de febrero de 2016)

Chiapas: Muere un maestro en los enfrentamientos de oposición a la evaluación magisterial (10 de diciembre de 2015)

Chiapas: Post-election Protests in Chenalho Municipality

Peace and Transparency Commission press conference @sie7edechiapas

On May 2, members of the Peace and Transparency Commission, a group of Tsotsil from Chenalho, Chiapas, held a press conference in front of the cathedral in San Cristobal de Las Casas, calling for the resignation of the mayor Rosa Perez Perez. Representatives of the nonconofrmist group acccused the mayor of Chenalho of “not keeping her campaign promises, not holding council meetings, not involving the municipal union or council members in government decisions and of firing trusted workers.” During her campaign, she promised to carry out public works, and give monthly dispensations of 5,000 pesos to all women in the municipality for craft production. It should be noted that this group has had a series of protests against the mayor since the beginning of April.

The opponents took over the town hall, the System of Integral Family Development headquarters (DIF in its Spanish acronym) and the Indigenous Peace and Conciliation Court in Chenalho; they closed roads to the municipal capital and took over the Tuxtla Gutierrez-San Cristobal de Las Casas highway tollbooth to demand her removal. The mayor handed in her resignation on April 13 in the face of these protests. Nevertheless, the deputies of the State Congress did not approve her request, ruling that her resignation was presented against her will. Given that Rosa Perez Perez remains in office, the noncomformists took over the State Congress on April 27 and chained its doors. Tomas Perez, spokesperson for the opposition stated in the press conference that they hope “the Congress accepts the resignation of the mayor this Tuesday 3, and on the contrary, on Thursday 5 some 15,000 indigenous from more than 100 communities will leave Chenalho and come to Tuxtla to present themselves at the doors of the State Congress.”

For more information in Spanish:

Indígenas de Chenalhó advierten que escalarán protestas si no renuncia su alcaldesa (Proceso, 02 de mayo de 2016)

Comisión de Paz demanda destitución de alcaldesa en Chiapas (La Jornada, 02 de mayo de 2016)

Fijan 24 horas para renuncia de alcadesa de Chenalhó, Chiapas (El Universal, 02 de mayo de 2016)

Conflicto en Chenalhó, fuego amigo en el gabinete de Velasco Coello de cara a la gubernatura de 2018

(Revolución Tres Punto Cero, 30 de abril de 2016)

Indígenas desbloquean Chenalhó (El universal, 29 de abril 2016)

Incendian casa de gente vinculada a la alcaldesa de Chenalhó (La Jornada, 27 de abril de 2016)

Alcaldesa de Chenalhó, remplazada por síndico (La Jornada, 14 de abril de 2016)

Exigen destituir a la alcaldesa de Chenalhó (La Jornada, 12 de abril de 2016)

Habitantes de Chenalhó ocupan oficinas municipales (La Jornada, 9 de abril de 2016)

Chiapas: Despite conflicts amongst parties, PVEM and PRI gain the majority of votes in election

@eleccionesChiapas

On July 19^th, more than three million people from Chiapas voted to elect 122 majors and their staff members and 41 local deputies. Of the planned six thousand voting booths, 97% were installed.

The Green Ecologist Party of Mexico (PVEM) and the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) won in 91 of the 122 towns of Chiapas, according to the Program of Preliminary Electoral Results (PREP). The PVEM and the PRI are maintaining the same number of towns that they govern at the present time. United Chiapas and Move Chiapas, sponsored by the local governments, will administer 18 towns. The MORENA Party did not win anywhere, according to the PREP.

The Institution of Elections and Citizen Participation (IEPC) reported on the burning and robbery of four voting booths in the town of Las Margaritas and on the robbery of two voting booths located in the section La Hacienda in the capital city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez. In two communities of Tila the voting booths could not be installed due to fighting during the last few days. In Pueblo Nuevo Solistahaucan an armed group stole the ballots of 4 voting booths and filled them with artificially marked ballots. The conselors of IEPC confirmed that nn Chenalhó, the electoral process was temporarily suspended because the ballots were not completed. According to the executive direct of the IEPC Jesus Moscoso Lorenca, in Ocosingo five voting booths were not installed for security reasons. In Venustiano Carranza the District Counsel had been taken and the protestors threatened to burn the building down. In Suchiate a voting booth had to be closed down because the people that had been registered there were migrants that received their birth certificates from the Civil Registry that had to be closed down for selling birth certificates.

For more information (in Spanish):
Chiapas: ganan PRI y PVEM 91 de 122 alcaldías (La Jornada, 22 de julio de 2015)
Las elecciones en Chiapas concluyen con casi 200 incidentes (CNN México, 20 e julio de 2015)
Elección en Chiapas: reportan robo de urnas, coacción del voto, acarreo y enfrentamientos (El Proceso, 19 de julio de 2015)

For more information from SIPAZ (in English):
Chiapas: Climate of violence between PRI and Green Ecologist Party in days before elections (22 July 2015)
Chiapas: Ejidatarios from Tila denounce confrontation between PVEM and PRI, with 4 injured (21 July 2015)

Guerrero: March in Tlapa de Comonfort, one month after the murder of Antonio Vivar Díaz

Federal police invade the Tepeyac community, Tlapa, 7 June 2015. Photo @Tlachinollan

On 7 July, a month after the murder of Antonio Vivar Díaz, an activist from the Popular Guerrerense Movement (MPG), at the hands of federal police, some 2,000 teachers, retirees, and neighbors of the Tepeyac community marched in Tlapa to demand justice and punishment for those responsible. On 7 June, election day, Federal Police arrested eight people from El Tepeyac while lacking any arrest-orders. The tensions between the federal police and neighbors was controlled at about 8pm, when it was agreed that the 8 prisoners would be released and transferred to Tlapa, in exchange for 30 federal police who had been taken by the community. Regardless, this agreement was broken by the police and military, who entered forcibly using tear-gas to rescue the detained police. This action caused the death of the activist and teacher Antonio Vivar Díaz by gunshot.

The Tlachinollan Mountain Center for Human Rights, in a report on 7 July notes that “the victims of the grave human-rights violations […] find themselves in a very high-risk situation. For this reason it is critical that the State implement the necessary measures to protect the lives and physical and psychological integrity of the victims, witnesses, and all other residents of the Tepeyac community […].” In this way, on 7 July, the World Organization against Torture (OMCT) released an open letter to the Secretary for Governance and the Federal Attorney General’s Office (PGR) which demands that “an immediate, exhaustive, effective, and impartial investigation be launched into these acts, particularly the death of Antonio Vivar Díaz,”

For more information (in Spanish):

Marchan maestros y estudiantes en Tlapa; exigen justicia por el activista asesinado por federales (El Sur de Acapulco, 8 de julio de 2015)

Los ocho de Tlapa no se conocían ni fueron detenidos en la CETEG (El Sur de Acapulco, 6 de julio de 2015)

OPINIÓN | Las ejecuciones del Ejército en Guerrero (CDHM Tlachinollan, 6 de julio de 2015)

Ficha Informativa (CDHM Tlachinollan, 7 de julio de 2015)

Carta Abierta (OMCT, 7 de julio de 2015)

For more information from SIPAZ (in English):

Guerrero: PRI wins elections within violent context (25 June 2015)

Guerrero: Murders and death-threats against candidates for June elections (17 May 2015)