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Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2000 16:26:15 -0400
From: irlandesa <irlandesa@compuserve.com>
Subject: Alliance for Chiapas boosts Pablo Salazar's candidacy
Sender: irlandesa <irlandesa@compuserve.com>
To: chiapas-l <chiapas-l@tierra.ucsd.edu>

Originally published in Spanish by La Jornada
_______________________
Translated by irlandesa


La Jornada
Tuesday, July 25, 2000.


Alliance for Chiapas Wants Clean Election

        Leaders of Eight Parties Sign Agreement
        Reason for Agreement is Pablo Salazar's Winning Governor


Matilde Pe'rez U and Jose' Antonio Roma'n.

In an historic event, national leaders of the eight political parties which
make up the Alliance for Chiapas - among them, the PAN and the PRD - signed
a 10-point agreement in order to secure victory for their candidate for
governor of that state, Pablo Salazar Mendiguchi'a, in the August 20
elections.

At a closed door meeting - which was attended by the governors of Tlaxcala,
Alfonso Sa'nchez Anaya, of Southern Baja California, Leonel Cota Monta~o, of
Nayarit, Antonio Echevarri'a and the head of the Mexico City government,
Rosario Robles Berlanga, party presidents were able to reach an agreement
in which they demanded guarantees for clean elections and the prevention of
the use of social programs and federal and state government public works in
support of the candidacy of PRI Sami David David.

The commitments they made as members of the Alliance for Chiapas are: 
increasing political publicity work in order to guarantee democracy
reaching the state, establishing a legal team which is expert in electoral
legislation, in order to ensure that those who violate the law are
punished, and embracing a joint political platform as the only possible
route for resolving the economic, political, social, cultural and
ecological problems of Chiapas.

"Winning the governorship in Chiapas, with Pablo Salazar Mendiguchi'a, as a
real means for reaching peace and promoting development with justice in the
state" is the 10th point of the agreement, released yesterday at a joint
press conference with the eight party leaders, following their almost two
hour meeting at a hotel in Mexico City.

Regarding the proposal made a few days ago by the PRI candidate to sign an
agreement of civility, Pablo Salazar commented that "it is not genuine." 
We cannot expect that kind of an attitude from the PRI, given that, during
the federal elections, the entire state apparatus was used to buy and to
coerce votes.  And today the so-called "syndicate of southeastern
governors" is supporting Sami David David with public funds from their
respective states.

Coercing Votes for the PRI

He called the elections of July 2 in the state "atypical," since, contrary
to what took place in almost the entire rest of the country, there was no
atmosphere of democratic festivity there.  Francisco Labastida won, the PRI
took 11 of the 12 federal congressional seats and their two Senate
candidates won.  But that was the result of a "brutal force" which was
used, such as has never before taken place, in order to coerce and to buy
votes, and where every known measure - and even some unknown ones - were
used.

"The old procedures were employed, but, in addition, so was the entire
state apparatus, all public funds, all the social programs, especially
Progresa, Procampo, Temporary Jobs and the State Employment Service.  All
of those programs were used in a partisan manner for the PRI.  And in
Chiapas we saw, according to a report from Civic Alliance, unprecedented
incidents, which have never been seen in any other part of the country,
such as voters showing their tickets to someone who was observing them in
order to verify how they had voted.  Much liquid money was used, " Salazar
commented.

Regarding the possible presence of Vicente Fox and Cuauhte'moc Ca'rdenas in
support of his candidacy during the final stretch of the campaign, Salazar
Mendiguchi'a said that his relationship with the parties supporting him was
"institutional," and that it would be up to them to determine what kind of
partisan role they would be playing in campaign events.

The leader of the PAN, Luis Felipe Bravo Mena noted that, once the
Electoral Tribunal of the Federation Judiciary has declared Vicente Fox
President-elect, his attendance at the Alliance for Chiapas candidate's
campaign events would be unlikely, because that would be continuing the old
State party behavior.

"Fox and Cardenas have to jointly promote Salazar Mendiguchi'a's win?"

"They are the ones who'll have to assess that."

Manuel Camacho Soli's, leader of the PCD, was in charge of reading the joint
communique' signed by Luis Felipe Bravo Mena, of the PAN;  Amalia Garci'a, of
the PRD;  Jorge Gonza'lez Torres, of the PVEM;  Dante Delgado, of Democratic
Convergence;  Fe'lix Castellanos, representing the PT;  Jose' Antonio
Caldero'n, of the PAS and  Gustavo Rioja, of the PSN.  They all committed
themselves to "solidifying" their unity and to working jointly in order to
achieve Pablo Salazar's victory.

The Alliance candidate, during the question and answer session, emphasized
that peace in that state "continues to be an unresolved matter for the
current government."  He warned that there were many risks in this election
campaign, since, "in contrast to elections in other states, there is more
than an election at stake in Chiapas, more than votes and a government. 
War or peace are at stake."  He said that defeating the PRI is a
"fundamental step" in achieving peace in the state.

During the press conference, which brought opposition leaders together for
the first time since the July 2 elections, he said there is no confidence
whatsoever that the governor of the state, Roberto Albores Guille'n, will
carry out an impartial political process in the state.

Concerning the State Electoral Council in Chiapas, he noted that its
members have no experience.  We are trying to build a process of confidence
with them.  "We have to accept that they're going to an election for the
first time, that they have no experience.  The Council is not the IFE [the
federal election institute], I want to make that quite clear."

Pablo Salazar, who was flanked by the national leaders of the PAN and the
PRD, was confident that, even once the registration deadline for election
observers is up on the 31st, the Council will grant an exception, because
there is great interest, not just in the international community, but also
nationally, in observing this election.

In the agreement, titled For Democracy, Peace and Reconciliation in
Chiapas, the eight signing parties noted that the State has an opportunity
to restore the legitimacy afforded by a democratically elected government. 
And it needs a government which will provide stability, governability,
reconciliation, and which is able to speak with all political and social
actors.

All these factors, the text adds - which the national public is urgently
calling for - chiapaneco society has promoted through the building of the
greatest alliance of parties and organizations ever to be achieved in the
country:  the Alliance for Chiapas.

It also denounced that, in response to growing sympathy for the Alliance
and the historical possibility of changing the structure of the political
domination of injustice and impunity which underlies all the conflicts in
the state, PRI "factions" have gathered in the state in order to attempt to
conserve power bases and to give continuity to personal or group political
programs.

"It does not matter to them that there are conditions for the beginning of
de'tente, for making progress in complex social problems.  Peace in Chiapas
does not matter to them, as it has not mattered to them for six years," the
candidate added.

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