Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Lopez Obrador presents his complaints to officials

Yesterday, AMLO presented his evidence of inconformities in the election to the election officials and to the press.

The 30 minute video is also posted on his website, along with two audio conversations (with transcripts). The video shows some ballots set aside at a polling place, then later someone putting ballots in the box (which only the voter is supposed to do). The IFE responded that the official was moving ballots to the correct box. [There are separate ballots, color coded, for each election, and voters are supposed to put the ballots in separate boxes. The IFE explained that someone is putting Diputado ballots in the Diputado box box after they were mistakenly put in the President box by the voters.]

Then, it cuts to ballot counting in another state, though it's not as clear what we're supposed to notice is wrong with that picture. AMLO says the officials are changing the vote tallies in favor of the PAN.

The first audio is a conversation between Elba Esther, the head of the teachers' union and former 2nd in command in the PRI who had recently become more cozy with the PAN and Fox, talking with the PRI governor of Tamaulipas (the coastal state bordering Texas). The transcript has Elba Esther discussing some of her organization's polls and asking the governor which way he's leaning. She says it's clear that the PRI is out and would like to know if he's leaning toward the PAN, as she thinks he might. She indicates that someone from the PAN may be calling him, if they haven't already, and she suggests that he call "Felipe" (presumably, Calderon's people) to let him know where he stands so it doesn't look bad. To me, it sounds more like they are conspiring to 'get out the vote' in support of the PAN, but maybe I'm just naive. (With la maestra, I guess anything is possible.)

From the transcript:

EEG. NUESTRA ENCUESTA TIENE, POR UNA RED QUE ARMAMOS EN TODO EL PAIS, (ANDELE) DE 6,364 CUESTIONARIOS APENAS LLEVAMOS, DE 14,000 LLEVAMOS 6,000, PERDON. Y VAN ASI: 34.1 PAN, 22.96 PRI. 33.68, PRD. YA SE CAYO EL PRI, EH, (MUY BIEN) ENTONCES HAY QUE SABER COMO ACTUAR

GOB. AS1 ES MAESTRA.

EEG HAY QUE SABER COMO ACTUAR Y AQUI SI VIENE LA DEClSlON DE FONDO. PORQUE LA INFORMACION QUE HAY ACA EN LOS ESTADOS DE NUESTROS AMIGOS, (AJA), TAMAULIPAS Y COAHUILA ESTAN CON TODO POR EL PRI Y VAN A HABLAR, NO SE SI YA HABLARON, VALE MAS QUE USTEDES SE ADELANTEN, SI AS1 LO DECIDEN, CON , FELIPE, PARA VENDER LO QUE TENGAN, EL PRI YA SE CAYO, EH.

GOB. NO, ESO NOS QUEDA MUY CLARO.

EEG. NO SE POR DONDE ANDES, POR AZUL O POR AMARILLO, PERO SI VA POR AZUL QUE ES LO QUE PENSAMOS, VALE MAS HABLARLE A FELiPE Y DEClRLE KiGO, NO, PARA NO QUEDAR MAL.

GOB. SI, YO CREO QUE TODO VA BIEN

EEG. VAMOS A SACAR AHORITA TODO ELVOTO CIUDADANO.

GOB. AQUl ESTAMOS HACIENDO LA CHAMBA. EH. POR AH/ ... ESTE..

EEG. POR ESO QUISE HABLAR. PORQUE EL INFORME QUE TIENEN ES QUE TODO PARA EL PRI. Y LO ES VERDAD, PORQUE ESO ES INSTITUCIONAL. ANTE LA CAIDA, CREO QUE LO INTERESANTE ES HABLAR CON FELIPE Y VENDERSELO.

GOB. AS1 ES.

EEG. NO?,

GOB. ENTONCES HABLAR CON MI VECINO, TAMBIEN, PARA VER COMO ANDA

EEG. COMO ANDAN, PERO YA, YA SE VA DESPEJANDO. YA EL VOTO DURO YA SALIO. BUENO, YO TE COMUNICO Y HAY ESPERO TU DECISION.

GOB. OKEY, LE AGRADEZCO MUCHO MAESTRA.

EEG. SI TE DECIDES POR AZUL, NO LO VAYAS A .........( CLARO) UN ABRAZOTE.

GOB. IGUALMENTE, GUSTO EN SALUDARLA, MAESTRA., ESTAMOS EN CONTACTO.

EEG. IGüHiMENTE.

[Updated to add: Now that I've listened to the audio, I must admit it sounds worse than it reads.]

The second audio is a phone conversation between a member of the Fox cabinet and the governor of Tamaulipas. This is presumably the call that Elba Esther hinted at above. From the transcript, it's not clear what they are talking about. From the transcript:

SCT. EUGENIO

GOB. SECRETARIO BUENAS TARDES, ¿COMO ESTAS? PEDRO

SCT PUES MUY AGRADECIDO, CREO QUE TE SOBREGIRASTE.

GOB. NO HOMBRE, JA, JA, JA,

SCT CON MUCHO GUSTO Y CON MUCHO APRECIO.

GOB. NO, ME DA MUCHO GUSTO, LO HAGO CON MUCHO AFECTO Y ADEMAS NOS HAS AYUDADO BASTANTE.

SCT. NO, CUENTA CON TODO .... QUE VAS A VER A ..... MANUEL ESPINO

SCT MANUEL ESPINO

GOB. NO SE .... HABLE CON EL HOY EN LA MAÑANA, ECHAMOS UNA PLATICADA.

SCT. ME DlJO QUE LO MEJOR ES QUE TE DIGA QUE SI PODlA ECHARTE UN GRITO Y PEDIRTE QUE LE ECHARAS LA MANO.

GOB. ANDALE. SI. QUE NECESITA.

SCT COSA QUE HAGO CON MUCHO GUSTO. PUES NO SE QUE TE VAYA A PEDIR.

GOB. HA BUENO. FIJATE VOY LLEGANDO AQUí A TOLUCA. VOY A UNA REUNION CON GOBERNADORES DE NUESTRO PARTIDO. Y ANALIZAR QUE VAMOS A HACER ... YO CREO QUE HAY QUE IRNOS CON LA .... CON EL IFE Y AGUANTAR VARA.

SCT NO CREO QUE VAYA EN ESE SENTIDO. PERO DE TODAS MANERAS YO TE LO QUERIA PLANTEAR. ME DlJO OYE, TU TIENES CONTACTO CON ALGUNOS QUE SEAN AMIGOS TUYOS, LE DIJE, PUES DOS O TRES QUE SON AMIGOS, LOS DEMAS SOLO SON CONOCIDOS.

GOB. AS1 ES.

SCT PUES SI LES PUEDES ECHAR UN GRITO Y DECIRLES QUE NOS ECHEN UNA MANO, PUES CON TODO GUSTO LO HAGO, SOBRE TODO PORQUE HAY QUE MANTENER LA ...

GOB. CLARO, NO, ESTAMOS NOSOTROS CON ESO, ... AS1 ES, ESA ES NUESTRA CONVlCClON Y AS1 LO HA DETERMINADO UN GRUPO DE AMIGOS, COLEGAS, HACE UNAS SEMANAS, CUANDO VIMOS QUE ESTO PODlA CERRARSE, PODlA OCURRIR.

SCT YO NO LE VEO NINGUN PROBLEMA, CONOCIENDO A LOS QUE CONOZCO, Y QUE CON TODO GUSTO HARlA YO EL TRAMITE.

GOB. NO TE AGRADEZCO MUCHO QUE ME HAYAS HABLADO PEDRO, CUENTA CON NOSOTROS EN ESE SENTIDO. SOMOS VARIOS COLEGAS QUE ESTAMOS EN ESE TENOR. Y DE HECHO

SCT. UN SALUDO

GOB. IGUALMENTE PEDRO GRACIAS GUSTO EN SALUDARTE.

The officials have until early September to review the complaints and make a decision.

posted by Michelle @ 9:36 AM,

5 Comments:

At 7/11/2006 1:58 PM,  J.S. Zolliker said...

Dr.
This is the other version of the debate(in Spanish): http://olganza.com/2006/07/11/pan-intenta-amlo-enganar-con-presunto-embarazo-de-urna/

I kind of belive this is a political trick in order to create a tension point to give AMLO an advantage for latter negotiations with the new to become goverment; I really can not believe their argument is true, because it would imply that 64% of the total population of mexico (who did not vote for him), commited fraud, and that ALL the PRD's representatives in the "casillas" did too.

Just to let you know, what some of us mexicans think about it.

 

At 7/11/2006 2:36 PM,  J.S. Zolliker said...

Dr. The man in the video just declared:

http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/361623.html

 

At 7/11/2006 6:02 PM,  Michelle said...

I'm not sure about your numbers above, but the logic of your first point makes sense....AMLO could very well be trying to put pressure on the Calderon government. Calderon hinted at a cabinet post for AMLO (SEDESOL perhaps?) given their "mutual interest in social justice" (Felipe's words, not mine).

Or maybe Lopez Obrador is just stubborn and wants to make things difficult for Calderon. And wants to improve his chances for 2012. Since he's out of a job, what's he got better to do the next 6 years except make Calderon's life difficult every waking minute. (I don't see AMLO retreating like Gore into a less public role.)

But, I'm not sure C. Cardenas's comeback record bodes well for AMLOs chances, unless Calderon does just as bad as Fox at managing political alliances with and in Congress.

Mientras tanto, por favor, no me llames "Dr." :) Me hace sentir vieja.

 

At 7/14/2006 8:55 PM,  Anonymous said...

Maybe Obrador believes that he recieved more votes, and they are trying to perpetrate a fraud? JUst a thought.

More, Michelle, what is this about the "Calderon government"--do you mean his political party, because Calderon has not been declared a winner, much less formed a 'government'.

....or am I just being a bit nit-picky?

 

At 7/14/2006 8:57 PM,  Anonymous said...

And I agree, Michelle, I see academics that call themselves 'Dr.' phoney and full of pretense.

 

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