Mexican State of Tabasco Elections

Mexico Herald English Edition ^ | Oct 15, 2006 | rovenstinez

[rovenstinez]

The defeat projected by most opinion polls signals that many voters may have been alienated by the increasingly radical stance of the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) and its fiery former presidential hopeful Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Many see the Tabasco race as a referendum on López Obrador´s decision to mount hardline challenges of the presidential results.

Most polls show López Obrador trailing Andrés Rafael Granier, the candidate of Madrazo´s Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

A Granier victory would be a major boost for the PRI, which ruled for 71 years until losing to the conservative Vicente Fox in 2000 and which still governs Tabasco. It finished third in this year´s presidential race.

López Obrador is a shopkeeper´s son who began his career as a government official working with poor indigenous Chontal around Tabasco swamps. Many Chontals venerate him and his party for the help he gave them.

"Before he came, we had nothing. He gave us jobs and houses," said Pedro Bernardo a 59-year old Chantal farmer in the poor village of Tutla. "Some people can be cheated like frogs and believe the lies they tell about him. But I will never abandon him."

López Obrador himself says the state is a crucial battleground.

"If the PRI wins Tabasco, then our adversaries will laugh at us and say that we even lose in our own land," López Obrador told reporters last week.

López Obrador has accused the PRI of handing out gifts to buy poor voters, a practice that was common during its decades running the country. On Tuesday, his aides showed a video of alleged PRI workers unloading thousands of bicycles and cans of house paint.

[rovenstinez]

This election is important as a signal to what is to be expected in the next few months with the newly elected Felipe Calderon to take office. This election will show the strength of the Lopez Obrador candidate, who campaigned very heavily to keep alive his bid to cause havoc, work stoppage, street protests, and general slow down of the economy.

[the invisib1e hand]

tsssssss! mui caliente, muchacha!

[Sender]

Tabasco race...fiery candidates...heh heh :)

[outdriving]

"This election is important as a signal to what is to be expected in the next few months with the newly elected Felipe Calderon to take office. This election will show the strength of the Lopez Obrador candidate, who campaigned very heavily to keep alive his bid to cause havoc, work stoppage, street protests, and general slow down of the economy."

And for all you open borders, "family values don't stop at the border" stooges. Take note. This is the attitude we are importing by the millions. You think the "Bush stole the election" moonbats are bad? Welcome to your new electorate. Good luck with "La Raza", Senor Busheron.

Remember the April/May protests? This is what we are buying with the Kennedy/McCain/Bush immigration plan.

[rovenstinez]

It does appear that the moderate candidate has declared victory, this will cool down some of the leftist movement's sense that the people are all on their side. People voted cautiously, for a government that thought would bring back law and order. For the folks up North, this should be taken as good news.