Since the Electoral Tribunal two days ago
threw out the possibility of a general recount and finalized their partial recount to maintain right-winger Calderon's narrow lead from the July 2nd presidential vote, many are asking, "What now?"
Some are still pushing for and hoping for a Tribunal (TEPJF) ruling on the huge apparently illegal intervention of the federal government and private corporations into the election on behalf of the right wing candidate.
Others are looking toward what remains for the opposition, given that the liberal PRD-led coalition has been totally trumped in Congress.
Will liberal candidate declare a "parallel presidency" which is intended for disruption or, in my view more likely, one which is more metaphorical and intended for social activism?
Excerpts below.
From El Universal, English section (click link for full):
AMLO threatens parallel executive
Wire services
El Universal
August 30, 2006
Andrés Manuel López Obrador, convinced he won´t be awarded the presidency, has vowed to create a parallel government and is urging Mexicans not to recognize the apparent victory of the ruling party´s Felipe Calderón.
While his party lacks the seats in Congress to block legislation, López Obrador can mobilize millions to pressure his conservative rival to adopt his agenda - or to clamp down and risk a backlash...
...Some predict his parallel government - which supporters call the "legitimate government" - could turn those protest camps into the core of a violent revolt, especially if the government tries to shut it down...
People close to López Obrador say he is assuming the role of his hero, 18th century President Benito Juárez, who led a roving, "unofficial" presidency from 1863 to 1867 during the French invasion, before driving out the invaders and executing the French-installed Emperor Maximilian.
...There is no question that López Obrador is taking his "legitimate government" or "government in resistance" - the exact title has yet to be determined - very seriously.
For another view, a bit of this analysis from Kenneth Emmond via the Herald Mexico (Miami Herald's partnership with El Universal), follow link for full:
Is Lopez Obrador a revolutionary?
BY KENNETH EMMOND/The Herald Mexico
El Universal
Lunes 28 de agosto del 2006
In an interview recently, Andrés Manuel López Obrador was asked whether his high-pressure tactics, which are evolving from a count-all-the-votes campaign into a change-the-institutions movement, might label him as a revolutionary.
"Mexico needs a revolution," he replied. "The most important changes in Mexico have never come about through conventional politics but from the streets."
That raises an intriguing question: how "revolutionary" is López Obrador?
One can easily imagine President López Obrador calling his followers into the streets every time Congress blocks one of his more radical reform initiatives. But how far is citizen López Obrador prepared to go?
...History teaches that revolution is a horrendously destructive option in which everyone loses, and in the end a new set of exploiters almost always emerges.
And yet, López Obrador has a point. Neither Congress nor the courts nor the regulatory agencies have been very good at creating an environment in which ordinary Mexicans can feel safe and prosperous. In terms of implementing meaningful, operational reforms, their incompetence staggers the imagination.
...Take for example labor laws. They're generous to workers. The rules that guide hiring, benefits, and even severance pay are weighted so strongly in favor of employees that companies hesitate to hire new workers. It's not rare for a company to ignore the laws, denying workers rights they're entitled to.
...Tax collection is so abysmal that the government collects less than 10 percent of the money it should be bringing in. Those who pay tend to be foreign companies, employees whose tax is discounted at source -- if their employers choose to remit the funds -- and a minority of honest businesses.
...Then there are the special privileges granted to certain economic sectors -- like the virtual monopoly that persists in the telephone and television industries, and government monopolies, rife with mismanagement and corruption.
...Maybe his movement will end up being extra-political as party insiders distance themselves from his radical stance. Whether or not the PRD wins the presidency, the election doubled its representation in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, and the party wants to reap the benefits of that.
...we cannot deny that the issues he raises urgently need to be addressed if Mexico is to break the pattern of an elitist social structure to become a truly affluent society.
What's your opinion: WHICH WAY NOW?