Posted on 04/28/2005 3:02:33 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
MEXICO CITY — As his administration is weathering widespread criticism and massive street demonstrations over criminal charges that could keep an opposition party favorite off the presidential ballot, President Vicente Fox said Wednesday that he'll replace his attorney general.
In a live address to the nation, Fox announced he accepted the resignation of Rafael Macedo de la Concha and emphasized Mexico would move ahead with reforms and hold an open and fair elections in 2006.
Fox said the federal government would review the criminal case against populist Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, widely seen as an early frontrunner for the presidency.
Analysts said Macedo de la Concha's dismissal and Fox's pledge for a review likely signal the death of the charges.
"The 2006 presidential election will be legitimate and each party will participate," Fox said.
It was the latest development of what has become a daily soap opera of political intrigue here.
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets Sunday to protest a congressional decision to strip Lopez Obrador of an immunity that protected him from criminal prosecution involving a land dispute in which a public road was built over a portion of private property.
Under the law, pending charges can keep a person from running for office.
Federal authorities contend Lopez Obrador broke the law by ignoring a judge's warning to halt construction of the roadway.
Lopez Obrador vowed he will fight the charges, would not accept bail, and would run his campaign from jail if necessary.
This week, Lopez Obrador has asked to meet with the president, and Fox's office has said it will respond to the request as soon as possible, but no date for a meeting had been made public as of late Wednesday.
Many Mexicans, even those who do not agree with Lopez Obrador's leftist politics, said not letting him run for office was a serious blow to the democratic reforms that Fox has championed.
Fox has largely been seen as a democratic reformer since he was swept into office in 2000 when his conservative National Action Party rallied a widespread coalition of voters to defeat the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which had ruled like a dictatorship for more than 70 years.
Mexico City political scientist Cesar Hernández said Fox is trying to reverse the view he is anti-democratic.
"Macedo de la Concha's departure is the beginning of the end of the criminal accusations against Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador," he said.
He noted that Fox had also been strongly criticized by the international media and that a poll by the daily newspaper El Universal showed his approval rating in Mexico had plunged 10 percent in recent months.
"He was losing his legacy," Hernández said. "This was a blow to his prestige."
Trinity University Professor Jorge González, who's a native of Mexico, said Fox would gain politically, but wasn't necessarily making the right move.
"Basically, they are going to try and find a political solution to the legal trouble," he said.
"Politically, it is a good move. It will be a plus for him, but for the long term, the rule of law is important."
González said it should have been left up to a judge and only a judge to decide if the case against Lopez Obrador had merit.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
express@cablevision.net.mx
You got that right, Professor!
Mexican Law Ping!
Please let me know if you want on or off this South Texas/Mexico ping list.
Each time the Mexicans change their president, they get a new face but get stuck with the same-old, same-old.
Each time the Mexicans change their president, they get a new face but get stuck with the same-old, same-old.
=====
It is a little difficult to understand what a Mexican President, Fox especially, really does to earn his paycheck. Is it the coersion between himself and the US to allow his "citizens" to illegally invade America to send U.S. dollars to Mexico, is it organizing his drug traffic to keep it profitable and unseen....what is it that a government that is soooooo corrupt, actually do ???
An oxymoron if I've ever heard one!
One of the many problems with being el Presidente is this; you are a lame duck as soon as elected. One 6 year term to grab as much as you can.
Like all organized crime units, they keep the wealth/corruption amongst themselves and make sure no one else cuts in or says anything. I think that's about it.
What I like about this situation is that Lopez Obrador has out foxed Fox.
All the mayor did was build a road for the people to go to the hospital. How do you expect ambulances to get to the hospital if there is not a road. The mayor looks good in this situation. Fox was a fool for starting this court case. Now Fox is trying to blame it on his attorney general so he (the AG) was fired.
Mexico knows how corrupt Mexico is and for Fox to come out touting the rule of law was nothing short of a joke to most Mexicans.
According to some friends of mine, the people of Mexico City love him. He has made sure the elderly, over 70years, get a small pension of $60 per month. Mexico needs to take care of Mexicans and that is what he wants to do.
bttt
Thought you might want to check this out.
he he, and castro loves him too!! he said the tuesday that Fox should forgive AMLO and then quit. the reporter of televisa that presented the news said later that it was pretty ironic coming from some one who has been in the power for fifty years. there was aalso the incident of that same elderly being blackmailed to go to the mobs or lose their pensions. personally I don't want either Creel or Lopez Obrador for president.
Ping !
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.