Mexico: Update to MEX30032.E of 16 September 1998 on the activities of the Party of Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolución Democrática, PRD) in the State of Guanajuato; relationship among the state's political parties, particularly in the Municipality of Irapuato
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 8 November 2004 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | MEX43118.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Mexico: Update to MEX30032.E of 16 September 1998 on the activities of the Party of Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolución Democrática, PRD) in the State of Guanajuato; relationship among the state's political parties, particularly in the Municipality of Irapuato , 8 November 2004, MEX43118.E , available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/42df613c11.html [accessed 5 November 2017] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The National Action Party (Partido Acción Nacional, PAN) has made significant electoral gains in Guanajuato since the mid-1990s, largely at the expense of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Institucional, PRI) (Ramírez Apr. 2001). Of the state's 46 municipalities, the PAN won control of 5 in the 1994 elections, 21 in 1997, 28 in 2000 (ibid.) and 26 in 2003 (Guanajuato 9 July 2003; Vértigo 19 July 2003). Furthermore, PAN member Juan Carlos Romero Hicks won the most recent gubernatorial election in July 2000, although his nomination as the party's candidate was controversial, resulting in the expulsion of roughly 300 party members who challenged his candidacy (La Jornada 23 June 2003).
According to Professor Rigoberto Ramírez López, based at Department of Politics and Culture at the Xochimilco campus of the Autonomous Metropolitan University (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, UAM), the Party of Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolución Democrática, PRD) has become the state's third political force, although the six municipalities it gained control over in the 1997 elections were cut to three in 2000 (Apr. 2001). The PRD continues to govern three municipalities in the wake of the most recent elections on 6 July 2003 (PRD n.d.; Vértigo 19 July 2003), with the magazine Vértigo referring to its "historic victories" (victorias históricas) in Moroleón, Tierra Blanca and Valle de Santiago (ibid.). Municipal presidents elected in these municipalities were Adrián Sánchez Contreras, Evaristo Hernández García, and Valle de Santiago respectively (PRD n.d.). In 2003, the PRD in Guanajuato received approximately 3.3 million pesos in public financing, compared with 19.8 millions pesos allocated to the PAN and 11.2 millions pesos allocated to the PRI (Guanajuato n.d.a).
No information on political parties' relationship with one another in the Municipality of Irapuato could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. However, eight parties reportedly took part in the 2003 municipal election (Guanajuato n.d.b), with Luis Vargas Gutiérrez of the PAN elected to the post of municipal president (Irapuato n.d.). The PRD's candidate in this election was Rodolfo Barragán Marquez (Guanajuato n.d.c).
Several reports published between 2002 and 2004 refer to the activities of PRD members and supporters in Guanajuato (La Jornada 29 July 2002; ibid. 13 June 2003; El Sol del Bajio 20 Mar. 2004). Examples follow.
On 28 July 2002, roughly 500 PRD activists from the Municipalities of Salamanca, Celaya León, Irapuato, Valle de Santiago, Manuel Doblado, Romita and San Francisco protested against an increase in electricity rates by marching to a property owned by President Vicente Fox Quesada's family with the intent of delivering a petition to the president (La Jornada 29 July 2002). There was no mention of any arrests or violence during the demonstration.
In June 2003, Enrique de Alba, spokesman for the PRD in Guanajuato, publicly accused Juan Carlos Romero, at the time the state's PAN governor, of attempting to bolster the party's electoral prospects in León by announcing several new public works and social welfare initiatives in the municipality in advance of July elections (ibid. 13 June 2003).
In November 2003, the Acámbro municipal government registered a criminal complaint (denuncia penal) against former PRD Municipal President Antonio Tirado Patiño, accusing him of theft of documents and contempt of the municipality (desacato al Ayuntamiento) in a case involving allegations linking him to financial irregularities (El Sol del Bajio 22 Nov. 2003). However, Victor Arnulfo Montes de la Vega, president of the Guanajuato PRD, was cited as saying that nothing improper had taken place, and the party would continue to support Tirado (ibid.). No mention of any subsequent developments in this case could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
On 18 July 2004, PRD activists in Guanajuato City were to take part in a march to show support for Andrés Manuel López Obrador, mayor of the Federal District (Distrito Federal, DF) (A.m. 18 July 2004). However, the León newspaper a.m. predicted a small turnout, due to the fact that there are only 100 PRD members in the city (ibid.). No information on whether the march took place could be found among the sources consulted.
In August 2004, Montes de la Vega cited the results of a scientific study by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) regarding the poor quality of the state's subterranean water reserves as evidence that the government's Hydro Development Plan (Plan de Desarrollo Hidráulico) is faulty (El Sol de Irapuato 18 Aug. 2004).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
A.m. [Guanajuato]. 18 July 2004. "Manifestación del PRD."
Guanajuato. 9 July 2003. Instituto Electoral del Estado de Guanajuato (IEEG). "Resultados por partido políticos derivado del computo municipal."
_____. n.d.a. "Financiamiento anual por partido 2003."
_____. n.d.b. "Candidatos a presidente municipal, Irapuato: Partido Acción Nacional."
_____. n.d.c. "Candidatos a presidente municipal, Irapuato: Partido de la Revolución Democrática."
Irapuato. n.d. "H. Ayuntamiento de Irapuato 2003-2006."
La Jornada [Mexico City]. 23 June 2003. Martin Diego. "Elecciones en Guanajuato."
_____. 13 June 2003. Martin Diego. "Exigirán al Ejecutivo deje de hacer campaña en favor de abanderados panistas."
_____. 29 July 2002. Martin Diego. "Rechazan cientos de perredistas guanajuatenses alza a tarifas de luz."
Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD). n.d. "Nuestros gobiernos: Guanajuato."
Ramírez López, Rigoberto. April 2001. "La integración plural de los ayuntamientos en Guanajuato: un paso hacia la democratización de los gobiernos municipales." Gobiernos locales: democracia y reforma del Estado. 2o. Congreso. Investigadores en Gobiernos Locales de México.
El Sol del Bajio 22 November 2003. "Denuncia penal contra Tirado."
El Sol de Irapuato. 18 August 2004. "Detectan contaminantes en el agua de Guanajuato."
Vértigo [Mexico City]. 19 July 2003. Claudia Luna Palencia. "Gobernará el PRI a 57.43% de la población."
Additional Sources Consulted
Internet sites, including: Correo [Guanajuato], Etcétera [Mexico City], Gobierno del Estado de Guanajuato, Instituto Electoral del Estado de Guanajuato, La Jornada [Mexico City] 2000-2003, Partido de la Revolución Democrática.
