Mexico

The Economist recently profiled Elba Esther Gordillo (”‘The teacher’ holds back the pupils“), the head of Mexico’s National Educational Workers’ Union, Latin America’s largest union with a membership of 1.4 million teachers across the country.  Ms. Gordillo’s political power, due in large part to the size of the teachers’ union, leads the Economist to claim she might be Mexico’s second most powerful leader, after President Calderon. The fact that the teachers’ union is so powerful, however, does not necessarily bode well for the country’s schools. Teachers and school heads, as the article points out, are accountable to union leaders, not the education ministry. The challenge now is whether Calderon and Gordillo are able to work together effectively to achieve the President’s desired educational reforms.

A recent LA Times article examines the alleged judicial activism of the Mexican Supreme Court, which has recently created a committee to investigate the political violence in Oaxaca. The Court made news earlier this month for overturning the anti-competitive “Televisa Law,” impacting Mexico’s two leading media conglomerates. Next on the docket is the eagerly-anticipated case of Mexico City’s controversial law legalizing abortion.

The Court’s independence is due in large part to judicial reforms in 1994 that granted the Court broad powers to make decisions that have the force of law. Prior to that, one political party ruled all governmental branches. While some may criticize the Court’s recent actions as over-stepping its role, its autonomy and authority are certainly positive developments for Mexican democracy.

Alan Greenspan, former Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, said recently that Mexico should privatize its oil industry to raise production through increased capacity for exploration. Greenspan stated that Mexico’s declining oil production could lead to a major fiscal crisis in the country. Mexico is the world’s 9th largest exporter of crude oil and a key supplier to the U.S. Petroleos Mexicano (PEMEX) is the state-owned, nationalized petroleum company.

Former Mexican presidential candidate Manuel Lopez Obrador has voiced his opposition to Greenspan’s recommendation, and despite Greenspan’s global stature, it is not clear that his comments will be well-received or have any impact on policy decisions in Mexico.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who lost a highly contentious presidential election to Felipe Calderon last year, toured the southern state of Chiapas recently to advocate for transparent local elections.  Obrador claimed that the buying of votes, mainly in the indigenous communities, is the main obstacle preventing democratic reform in the country. 

Obrador, the candidate of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) in the 2006 presidential election, went on to lead a civil movement claiming electoral fraud while challenging the election results. 

See: Mexico Obrador for Clear Local Elections (Prensa Latina)

The Supreme Court of Mexico struck down the national “Televisa law,” which was enacted last year to give away bandwidth for television, Internet, and telephone services exclusively to two media giants, Televisa and TV Azteca, without bids or compensation to the government.  Lawmakers will now have to re-draft the law to allow competition. 

In making the ruling, Justice Olga Sanchez said, “The fact that the media is concentrated in a few hands distorts the right to information because it allows those in control of the media to manipulate, to mold public opinion.”

Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission, an independent government council investigating the 2006 unrest in Oaxaca, recently concluded that the federal government should have  intervened sooner after state authorities were overwhelmed.  The commission also said that hundreds of human rights complaints it received from the uprising were credible, and the 12 people killed in the clashes were mostly protesters shot by gunmen.

In May 2006, a teachers’ strike that was joined by leftist groups turned into a larger movement, occupying the city center for almost 5 months.  Teachers, union members, students, and indigenous activists joined in calling for the removal of the state’s governor.  The unrest in Oaxaca has become a symbol for tensions that exist throughout Mexico, including corruption and social inequality.  While the government cracked down on the public demonstrations, the discontent remains, raising the possibility of continued protest.

See also: Too quiet in Oaxaca (San Francisco Bay Guardian) and Mexico rights panel criticizes Oaxaca uprising response (Jurist)

Facing threats from drug gangs along with two grenade attacks, the Mexican newspaper Cambio Sonora, announced that it will shut down temporarily. Located in the border state of Sonora, the newspaper had already halted most of its investigations into drug trafficking and organized crime. Newspaper officials said the attacks were designed to intimidate the staff and create an atmosphere of fear.

The newspaper’s closing is illustrative of two dangerous trends in Mexico — drug violence, and threats against journalists. In this case, as in many others, the two are linked as reporters in Mexico face personal risk for investigating or exposing drug traffickers.   The resulting violence has made Mexico the second deadliest place in the world for journalists after Iraq. 

See: Mexico newspaper is drug war casualty (CNN)

(AP Photo by Guillermo Arias)

National Public Radio (NPR) reporter Lourdes Garcia-Navarro filed a report examining how Mexico City is leading the way in Latin American liberalism. Reflected by the Mexico City Assembly passing progressive measures on civil unions and abortion, local attitudes are not as they once were. With its trendy art scene, the city recently hosted controversial photographer Spencer Tunick’s latest public project, attracting 18,000 participants and serving as further evidence of what Garcia-Navarro says is a city being “reborn and rebranded.”

Listen to the NPR report: Mexico Bares its Liberal Side, and More

Mexico City’s Legislative Assembly voted 46-19 to legalize abortion, and the city’s progressive mayor is expected to approve it.  President Felipe Calderon’s conservative party and the Catholic Church have spoken out against the city’s actions.

Martha Micher, director of the Mexico City government’s Women’s Institute, estimates that 200,000 women have illegal abortions in Mexico each year. Micher told the New York Times that botched abortions using herbal remedies and quasi-medical procedures kill 1,500 Mexican women each year and has been the third-leading cause of death for pregnant women in the capital city.

The only Latin American and Caribbean countries with legalized abortion for all women are Cuba and Guyana. Nicaragua, Chile, and El Salvador ban it completely, while other countries make exceptions for cases of rape and when the woman’s health is in risk.

In Mexico, abortion is banned except in the case of rape, severe birth defects, or a risk to the woman’s health, although some doctors reportedly refuse to perform the procedure even in those cases. The new Mexico City measure would allow for first-trimester abortions, requiring city hospitals to provide it and opening the door for private clinics as well. The procedure will be almost free for poor and insured patients.

Mexico City’s independent legislature is dominated by the leftist Democratic Revolution Party, which is at odds on the issue with President Calderon’s conservative National Action Party. Supporters of the city’s actions hope that it will have wider impact in promoting the decriminalization of abortion elsewhere, while opponents are planning to challenge the new law in Mexico’s Supreme Court.

(AP Photo: Rally in Mexico City)

Mexican soldiers have detained over 100 police officers in Nuevo Leon, a state bordering Texas.  They are being held and investigated on suspicion of aiding drug traffickers in what appears to be the latest effort of President Calderon’s administration to dispatch the military in fighting drug cartels.

For further information, see:
Soldiers arrest Mexican police in anti-drugs swoop (Reuters)
Officers arrested in Nuevo Leon (San Antonio Express)
Mexico drug cartels feud erupts (BBC)