By Nacha Cattan
Mexico City’s mayor has ordered non-emergency city government vehicles to remain parked to prevent their use in campaigns ahead of primary elections for the capital’s highly fractious governing party. In addition, the decree issued Thursday called for all walkie-talkies and cell phones that are not needed for essential services to be handed over to authorities by Friday evening. They will be returned after Sunday’ s public elections to choose candidates for the Democratic Revolution Party, or PRD, as per the order issued by Mayor Marcelo Ebrard. The campaigns have already been tarnished by accusations by two warring PRD factions over the use of government equipment or social handouts t o lure voters.
The attacks have grown heated given the high stakes of the internal election – which would choose the party’s candidates for 16 borough chiefs, 40 city Assembly members and close to 30 federal deputies. The PRD’s prominence in the capital makes the primaries all the more crucial, experts say, as they will decide which of two philosophically opposed factions will carry the D.F. – the party’s strongest power base. “They are more important than the general elections in July,” said Fernando Belaunzarán, a former PRD policy planning chief and vocal critic of the faction associated with Mayor Ebrard. But more important than who wins, some political scientists say, is that the race appear clean. The PRD lost clout and public support after two candidates for the party presidency fought for months over the results last year. Both alleged fraud and ballot stuffing. “Any anomaly will be used against the [PRD],” said Ivonne Acuña, a political analyst at the Universidad Iberoamericana. “It could cause even more apathy among voters in July.” Already, the party’s rival factions in Mexico City have accused one another of misusing logos or even handing out food with campaign flyers. And Mexico City Assemblyman Víctor Hugo Círigo alleged Ebrard has hand-picked candidates. “If we repeat what happened last year [in internal party elections] it would be suicide,” Belaunzarán said.
Mexico City’s mayor has ordered non-emergency city government vehicles to remain parked to prevent their use in campaigns ahead of primary elections for the capital’s highly fractious governing party. In addition, the decree issued Thursday called for all walkie-talkies and cell phones that are not needed for essential services to be handed over to authorities by Friday evening. They will be returned after Sunday’ s public elections to choose candidates for the Democratic Revolution Party, or PRD, as per the order issued by Mayor Marcelo Ebrard. The campaigns have already been tarnished by accusations by two warring PRD factions over the use of government equipment or social handouts t o lure voters.
The attacks have grown heated given the high stakes of the internal election – which would choose the party’s candidates for 16 borough chiefs, 40 city Assembly members and close to 30 federal deputies. The PRD’s prominence in the capital makes the primaries all the more crucial, experts say, as they will decide which of two philosophically opposed factions will carry the D.F. – the party’s strongest power base. “They are more important than the general elections in July,” said Fernando Belaunzarán, a former PRD policy planning chief and vocal critic of the faction associated with Mayor Ebrard. But more important than who wins, some political scientists say, is that the race appear clean. The PRD lost clout and public support after two candidates for the party presidency fought for months over the results last year. Both alleged fraud and ballot stuffing. “Any anomaly will be used against the [PRD],” said Ivonne Acuña, a political analyst at the Universidad Iberoamericana. “It could cause even more apathy among voters in July.” Already, the party’s rival factions in Mexico City have accused one another of misusing logos or even handing out food with campaign flyers. And Mexico City Assemblyman Víctor Hugo Círigo alleged Ebrard has hand-picked candidates. “If we repeat what happened last year [in internal party elections] it would be suicide,” Belaunzarán said.
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