General News

Despite the millions of pesos being spent on publicity this election season, the majority of voters in Jalisco don’t recognize the candidates for political positions, according to a survey conducted by Guadalajara daily El Informador. 

Seven out of ten potential voters who took part in the survey were unable to name any of the candidates who aspired to political office in their municipalities or districts. In Guadalajara, where a fierce race is being waged for the job of mayor, some respondents thought that leading contenders Ricardo Villanueva and Enrique Alfaro were actually running for federal office in Mexico City. What’s more, four out of ten participants in the survey didn’t know which district they lived in.

Greg Stanton. the mayor of Phoenix, Arizona, seems happy enough with the traditional Huichol-crafted gift he received from Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sandoval during this week’s visit to Guadalajara. 

Following the drug cartel ambush of a police convoy in Soyatan on April 6, which caused the deaths of 15 officers, 23 members of Jalisco’s elite Fuerza Unica Regional (FUR) have resigned. 

Candidate rages as drone interrupts family weekend 

Enrique Alfaro, the Citizens Movement (MC) candidate for Guadalajara mayor, was surprised last weekend by a drone hovering above his home, and has accused his main rival, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), of spying and political subterfuge.

MC Jalisco President Hugo Luna said two members of the PRI admitted that the drone was sent by their party to gather information about Alfaro’s personal assets. The police were contacted in response to the incident but Attorney General Luis Najera said there is little evidence to support an investigation. 

“The drone was hovering for about 30 minutes,” Luna said. “It’s the house where he lives with his wife and daughters. This is a flagrant and violent invasion of privacy and represents a looming security threat, especially during an election.”

Dad’s improprieties put governor on the spot

Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sanodval found himself in an embarrassing situation when his father, magistrate Leonel Sandoval, was taped encouraging Supreme Court staffers to secure votes for the  Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), even at the cost of breaking the law by influencing voters on election day. 

The PRI governor reportedly had private words with his father, who subsequently took a leave of absence from his post for 50 days – the period corresponding to the election run-up. While several political parties called for his resignation as a magistrate and filed criminal  complaints, Sandoval Sr. will not face charges. Jalisco Supreme Court President Luis Carlos Vega Pamanes defended Sandoval, arguing that talking about a crime was different from committing it. 

Tortilla wrapping paper to promote elections?

The Jalisco Electoral Institute has been toying with the idea of promoting the upcoming June elections on paper used to wrap tortillas. The campaign would reach about 4,600 shops and restaurants and have an estimated cost of 400,000 pesos. The initiative is part of a wider program to encourage high voter turnout.   Ironically, the idea originally came from the Green Party of Mexico (PVEM), which was fined this month for illegally printing campaign propaganda on tortilla wrappings.

Dog returns to election spotlight

A pitbull named Fidel is set to feature in the Jalisco elections in June, as disenchanted citizens are encouraged to null their votes by writing his name on the ballots.  The Twitter account, @SeBuscaFidel (looking for Fidel), features tweets criticizing politicians and outlining the dog’s campaign promises. On April 8, Fidel even promised to make a public declaration of assets. 

The dog appeared in the 2009 election, when his owner Carlos Delgado used him as a symbol  of weariness “towards the political class, the atmosphere of mistrust and the poor representation of citizens.”

Fidel was proposed as an alternative candidate  for District 12, where Delgado claims he secured 3,500 votes.      

Agents from Profepa (Procuraduria Federal de Proteccion al Ambiente), the “legal enforcer” for Mexico’s environment agency, Semarnat (Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales), this week supervised the removal of cyclonic fencing around a 42-hectare area bordering the Tenacatita beach erected in August 2010 by a Guadalajara developer claiming title to the land. The agency also says it took down an illegal metal gate that was restricting access on the only road leading to the pristine beach on Jalisco southern coast.

A leading Jalisco government official has criticized an updated U.S. Department of State travel advisory for Mexico released this week, even though its wording regarding this state has not changed since the previous one was issued in December of last year.

The deadly ambush of 15 state police officers in Soyatan, Jalisco earlier this month drew international attention and dramatically raised the profile of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). 

An unusual exhibit is touring Jalisco schools in a bid to teach children about Guachimontones, the pre-Hispanic archaeological site consisting of curious “round pyramids” located about an hour west of Guadalajara in Teuchitlan.