A plaza in Tonala’s Colonia Ciudad Aztlan was recently dubbed by municipal authorities as “Plaza Enrique Peña Nieto” (after Mexico’s current president).
This act would seem to demonstrate two things: a tin ear when it comes to which politicians the general public favors, and ignorance of a law enacted over six years ago in Jalisco prohibiting the use of plaques or other identifying markers in public works and services containing the names of current governors, mayors and other public functionaries .
An additional infraction was committed by virtue of the presence of Governor Aristoteles Sandoval himself; the law further states that sitting public functionaries should do all in their power to make sure territories under their purview are in compliance with the statute. The alleged violation was reported by members of the Movimiento Ciudadano (MC) party.
The plaza’s namesake, President Peña Nieto, belongs to the dominant PRI party, to which Sandoval and – more importantly – current gubernatorial candidate Miguel Castro Reynoso also belong. Meanwhile, former Guadalajara Mayor Enrique Alfaro, Castro’s chief electoral competition, is a member of the MC.