Following an unexpected reversal of fortunes in his political ambitions, Joaquín Huerta could earn the record for taking the shortest government leave of absence in Chapala’s history.
Huerta temporarily bowed out of his job as Chapala mayor on Friday, December 17 with the aim of contending for the nomination as Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) candidate for the District 17 seat in the State Congress. But he ended up as a no-show when registrations for entering the party’s internal candidate selection process closed on December 22.
While Huerta has not been available to comment on the situation, local political observers presume he was unable to muster the required number of supporter signatures to make the cut. He is expected to slip back into the mayor’s chair next week when City Hall reopens for regular business following the holiday vacation period.
Former Chapala Mayor Alejandro Aguirre Curiel (2001-2003) did manage to throw his hat into the ring just minutes ahead of the registration deadline. He previously ran for the same legislative post under the PAN banner in 2003, but lost the election to Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) rival José María García Arteaga by a razor-thin margin.
This time around Aguirre will compete against Francisco de la Cerda Suárez, from Juanacatlán, to gain the PAN candidacy. The two will have just over one month to mount campaigns among party affiliates before the choice is made by vote in PAN’s district assembly.