Mexico possibly has some of the best election procedures in the world.
Anyone following the news of the 2006 debacle of a photo finish in the Mexican election and the resultant havoc may question that statement, but judging from what I saw in this current election and several before that, the election procedure is managed about as clean as can possibly be.
BUT, what goes on up to the moment a voter actually casts his or her vote is possibly along the lines of 19th century America, Chicago, or George Bush owned plantations. Vote buying, vote coercion, voter impersonation, etc, is still the norm, and reportedly votes and their corresponding voter identifications were being offered up to 500 pesos each.
Political parties competed with handouts ranging from bushels of eggs, toiletry kits and sacks of concrete to sheet metal roofing. Individuals were threatened with loss of their scholarships, social support, and monthly stipends for failing to vote in the “right” direction.
Nevertheless, beautiful downtown Catemaco, Veracruz did itself proud and produced a record turnout of 63 per cent of registered voters, including a few dead ones, and elected a mayor for the next 3 year term with a 28 % “majority”.
Now, personally, if I took this stuff seriously, I would probably prefer to leave Catemaco rather than to live with the next mayor’s reputation.
But then again, nobody left Catemaco after I moved here.
So what!
VIVA JORGE GONZALEZ AZAMAR
Líder maximo de Catemaco, 2008-2010.
May he reign in peace.
Sep 3, 2007
Catemaco Elections
Jun 1, 2007
Catemaco Politics
Have you heard any good jokes lately?
Here is a political one from beautiful downtown Catemaco.
7 years ago the mayor of Catemaco was jailed for alleged rape and malfeasance. A new election was called and elected a mayor from a different party.
The old mayor got out of jail on one of those Monopoly "Get out of jail free" cards. These cards are being distributed on a daily basis by the judicial system in Veracruz to participants in the game who either own or have a relative that owns Boardwalk.
The previously jailed mayor won the next election on behalf of a different party than the one that jailed him. This was similar to US agendas that elected convicted drug lord Barry in Washington, DC, USA.
After being in office for 2 years and spouting innumerable urban renewal programs not funded by the Veracruz government which controls most of the finacial strings of small provincial towns, this latest Catemaco mayor tried to buck the existing power structure by organizing a road block of a federal highway, assisted by some of the internationally famous witch doctors (BRUJOS) of Catemaco.
As predictable by any agnostic observer, the mayor's attempt failed and instead landed his community in the proverbial "shithouse" of places that the state government does not send discretionary funds to.
So this mayor, funded by millions of disappeared pesos for improvement project in Catemaco, which miraculously never improved, temporarily resigned to obtain the designation of candidate for his latest party's commitment in its quest for a piece of the Veracruz government.
The Veracruz government, like all Mexican states, elects most of its state representatives to the state government by direct vote. BUT, approximately 1/3 of the representatives are assigned to the participating parties to bestow as they see fit.
The Catemaco mayor, known as the "Little Prince", among his many other less flattering names, failed to gain his party's indirect nomination, known as plurinominal.
So the "little prince" returned to his job as mayor of Catemaco and spent a few weeks of renewing his ties to his political power base.
As of 1 June 2007 he quit again to pursue the nomination of his party as the uninominal candidate of Los Tuxtlas. That means he wants to get elected on the basis of a direct vote, after his party turned him down for an assigned vote.
There are other contenders. But for "the little prince" a victory is absolutely necessary, otherwise his " Get out of jail card free" card will be cancelled and he will have to face a variety of local, state, and federal lawsuits against him, which by quirky Mexican law have not been enforceable while the "little prince" was an elected official.
That is just he story of one Catemaco official. Do you want to hear about the one who watched heads rolls on his mayorial watch, and ascended to legislative heaven and then got roundly trounced by the "little prince" and consequently switched political allegiance to another party which had been fighting him for a dozen years but now accepts him as a viable candidate?
Or is this enough of a joke?
Feb 9, 2007
Catemaco Protest
A common political tool in Mexico is a protest march. It is so common in Mexico City, that downtown shop owners expect their streets to be blockaded a large part of the year.
Generally, and specifically in the provinces of Mexico, a protest is a political act, paid for by a political agent supported by "under classes" promised some bags of cement, a few chickens and a threat to have their welfare programs rescinded for failure to participate. Political achievement in Mexico is related to who can make the most political noise. That is why almost daily, in this beautiful country, a highway is blocked to travellers because of the perception of some outside malfeasance.
A relatively new wrinkle on this sort of protest was the recent shutting down of fresh water supplies to southern Veracruz by mostly indigenous peoples, because of perceived failures of state infrastructure projects.
Beautiful downtown Catemaco has now joined the rank of protesters, because its prince (alcalde) is allegedly lacking money to maintain his princedom (ayuntamiento) because of over spending and is now desperately seeking promised state public works, which are known to clandestinely add 10 to 20% of their cost to a local leader's portfolio.
Apparently the local prince misunderstood the state's king (gobernador) who, as customary, had promised a boat motor and four chickens for every pot in Catemaco, but whose office is also customarily known never to deliver on promises.
As an example, it took 26 years of promises to pave a local road from Catemaco to the beach.
So now, the local prince, who used who knows whose funds, has engaged various bus companies to transport people from the beautiful uptown Catemaco area for a free visit to the state capital, including free lunches and perhaps a bag of cement to keep warm in the cold temperatures of Xalapa.
The intent is to make so much noise that the possibly embarrassed king of Veracruz will throw a bone to the Catemaco prince so that he can hopefully say he was "promised" that a mile of lake front or other dirt road would be paved.
On their way, these troubadors blocked the federal highway from Veracruz to Coatzacoalcos. This created many more loyal supporters among local drivers and foreign tourists who allegedly joined in the lament of the local ayuntamiento .
Some of the local brujo (witch) population, or at least the ones aligned with the princedom, have also joined this protest and are prepared to draw spells on anyone standing in the way of this protest. (The last protest was welcomed with tear gas).
The king became upset at these happenings and sent troups of his black and white police cars to intercept the merry troubadors. Frightened by the thought of going to jail most of the party makers decided to walk home and left the prince with a handful of lackals, and 22 mostly empty buses.
So much for that supposed brujo magic!
Nov 23, 2006
Counting Catemaco
Mexico is a declared democracy with a constitution which has been amended around 80 times in less than 90 years, and is subject to be further massacred at a moment's notice. The statistics/experiences presented here are not necessarily true of anywhere else in Mexico, although I seriously doubt that.
The election for presidente (mayor) of beautiful uptown and downtown Catemaco, Veracruz occured September 2004, and the mayor occupied his (stripped by the previous administration) office on January 1, 2005. He, (no woman was ever elected), was to retain the office for only three years (Mexican constitutional law prohibits reelection of any government official to the same office, until the passage of one elected term).
On January 2, 2005 began the election campaign for the next mayor of Catemaco. At present there are 26 candidates for the mayor job, distributed among various parties.
The population of Catemaco as of 2000 was 45,383. The municipio is on a minor downward spiral according to population statistics provided by INEGI, the Mexican statistics agency. Thus statistical figures are staying fairly constant.
According to INEGI, in 2000, the Catemaco population above the age of 15 was 21,842. Considering that the minimum age to vote in Mexico is 18, and there was a total population of 45,383, minus 21,182 which were less than 15 years old, minus the proportionate count of those which were less than the minimum age of 18, (2,913), that left a remainder of 20,628 voting age adults.
In the last presidential election (2006) the Catemaco vote count was 17,137. That is an amazing 83 percent of adults (not registered voters) who voted in Catemaco. Registered voter statistics are almost impossible to obtain in Mexico, because they would possibly present 150% voter participation. (I am probably just a stupid foreigner that does not understand Mexican statistics).
In 2004 the municipal election for mayor of Catemaco was won with 6,444 votes of an alleged 17,235 voters.
In 2006 the new Mexican president was elected with a similar less than majority vote.
Mexico is a representative democracy which does not require a majority to win anything. This was never important in the years during which the PRI (party in control of Mexico for 60 years) controlled the government, because they controlled EVERYTHING no matter which way the vote was counted.
Since 2000, when the PRI first lost the presidential office, this lack of majority in anything, has stuck Mexico in a quagmire of indecision, while China usurped its US markets.
Nov 6, 2006
Catemaco Food Chain
Average Voter Jose Jimador Herradura
Aug 20, 2006
Catemagic
The Mexican federal government recently declared Coatepec near Xalapa, Veracruz a “Pueblo Magico” (magic village).And here I thought beautiful downtown Catemaco was the Pueblo Magico.
A little research discovered that there are 18 other declared magic villages in Mexico, including Taxco, Real de Catorce and Tequila.
Nevertheless that declaration was a slap in the face of Catemaco where everybody knows the “REAL” magic is for sale.
So the Veracruz governor involved himself and proclaimed he will initiate the process to also declare Catemaco a “Pueblo Magico“, and perhaps start his own chain of pueblos magicos in Veracruz.
Is this true magic, or what?
Jul 6, 2006
Adios al Peje
Whether that was justified or not is for history to judge. I am sure your party was just as adept at vote manipulation as your competitor was.
And I am proud that beautiful downtown Catemaco was on your side.
It is now time for you to return to Tabasco to go fishing and permit Mexico to go forward.
Viva Mexico!
Jun 14, 2006
Gringo Conspiracy
A tiny little "Gringos for Peje" lobby, dispensing single US dollar bills to prospective voters should be no problem here. After all the Mexican national side is promising and delivering lanchas, monuments, pensions, US citizenship and three chickens in every pot.
This Peje group would be self financed, only being dependent on functioning ATM machines in beautiful downtown Catemaco. As has been previously explained, this is already being sabotaged!
The July 2nd election is near. This foreign conspiracy is probably looking for your support.
Apr 26, 2006
Catemaco mayor behind bars again
Mar 16, 2006
Catemaco Women
Although rockets sparkle the sky on this International Day of Women in beautiful downtown Catemaco, Veracruz, the status of many women here is not much above the status of a favorite horse. Many Gringos, especially the older ones who seek shelter in Mexico from their incompetence in the USA, consider Mexican women LBFM´s (littlebrownfuckingmachines) based on their acquaintance with the result of the failure of Mexican women´s participation in their country`s economic and social development.
Women in Mexico gained the right to vote in federal elections in 1947. Civil rights for women in 2006, although included in various federal & state legislations are still lacking in judicial applications. Customary women´s rights in the rural areas of Mexico are similar to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan without the head dress.
Although laws exist to prohibit the applications, traditionally, women cannot inherit property, and in essence become chattel of their first born sons.
Only a few years ago, Mexican law acknowledged marital rape as a crime. Physical wife abuse is still one of the primary reasons for deployment of police forces in Mexico and Los Tuxtlas and usually still results in legal avoidance.
Child sale or trade still occurs, especially of female babies. But, fortunately, Mexico´s extreme effort to end the spiraling population curve has produced satisfying results in the decrease of that particularly nasty curve. Pre-natal and child care is barely above minimal international levels.
Psychologically, many Mexicans are dependent on ownership of their “tierra” as a fountain for their identity, especially among native peoples; and as a consequence, the Mexican government politically is obligated to retain rural people on their “tierra” and supports them via numerous hand outs, leaving mostly women holding the “so called farm”. In many cases it is the women of Catemaco who are heavily impacted by their men´s migration to greener pastures, both within Mexico and the USA, and they depend on their husband´s transmission of monies to stay alive, and , if not, “man” the hundreds of vendor stands for their survival.
On this day, the International Day of Women, aside from all women everywhere, I especially salute those women of Catemaco and Los Tuxtlas, who maintained their families, struggled within the ingrained Mexican bureaucracy and SURVIVED.
Jan 30, 2006
Ya Basta in Catemaco
Jan 7, 2006
Catemaco Women
I love the women of Catemaco, Veracruz. There are short ones, tall ones, brown ones, pink ones, skinny and fat ones, etc. The category that I miss is "political women".
Women in Mexico gained the right to vote in federal elections in 1947. In 2007 civil rights for women in Mexico, although included in various federal & state legislations, are still lacking in full legislative application.
Customary women´s rights in the rural areas of Mexico are similar to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Athough laws exist to prohibit the applications, traditionally, women cannot inherit property, and in essence become chattel of their first born sons.
Only a few years ago, Mexican law acknowledged marital rape as a crime. Physical wife abuse is still one of the primary reasons for deployment of police forces. Child sale or trade is still prevalent, especially for female babies. But, fortunately, Mexico´s extreme effort to end the spiraling population curve has produced satisfying results in the decrease of that curve.
Pre-natal and child care is barely above minimal international levels.
Many women in the Catemaco area are heavily impacted by their men´s migration to greener pastures, both within Mexico and the USA, and depend on their husband´s transmission of monies to stay alive.
It is no fun being a woman in beautiful downtown Catemaco, unless you are a saftig Popoluca and catch a rich gringo.
