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DE RUEHME #1311/01 0682228
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R 092228Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9558
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MEXICO 001311 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PINR MX
SUBJECT: ACT II: AMLO KICKS OFF CAMPAIGN'S SECOND STAGE 
 
REF: A. MEXICO 536 
 
     ¶B. MEXICO 765 
 
Summary 
 
¶1. (U) Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), presidential 
candidate for the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), held a 
campaign event on 02/26 that filled Mexico City's central 
plaza (Zocalo) with approximately 70,000 to 120,000 
supporters.  The event marked the end of a successful first 
stage of the campaign as polls show AMLO's lead increase to 
almost 10 points since the campaigns officially began in 
January.  The Zocalo event was also the launch of the 
campaign's second stage (reftel) which will be adjusted 
slightly to expand AMLO's image not only as a leader but as a 
team player as well.  The focus of the second stage's initial 
two weeks will be to support PRD candidates in the March 12 
State of Mexico local elections.  From there, AMLO will 
attempt to visit over 400 municipalities around the country 
before June.  At an average of five campaign events a day, 
there is concern that AMLO will burn out before the 
elections.  PRD insiders, however, believe he will only 
continue to get stronger.  End Summary. 
 
Welcome Back, AMLO 
 
¶2. (U) The Zocalo rally was  billed as the largest event of 
the campaign, and AMLO did not disappoint, raising the 
enthusiasm of approximately 70,000 to 120,000 supporters, 
many of who were bused in from all over the city and 
surrounding areas.  His speech focused on a number of his 
most important domestic policies and a summary of the 
campaign's first stage, but also touched on some of AMLO's 
foreign policy initiatives.  His promises to the crowd 
included lowering electric, gas, and gasoline prices, ending 
taxes on food and medicine, and making the energy sector the 
engine for economic development without opening it to private 
investment.  He also added that if elected president he would 
not raise taxes and would slash cabinet secretary salaries as 
well as presidential pensions.  He listed his 26 specific 
promises to Mexico City, a strategy he has used throughout 
the campaign of creating specific commitments to meet the 
needs of each individual state in addition to his 50 Promises 
for the Nation.  AMLO used the event to highlight some of his 
foreign policy beliefs as well, not surprisingly inspired by 
the Sheraton-Cuban delegation affair (reftel).  AMLO stated 
that he would return Mexico to its traditional foreign policy 
of non-intervention and that Mexico was "not going to meddle 
in the internal life of other peoples and other governments, 
because we don't want them meddling in ours."  He explained 
that Mexico was not going to be the puppet of any foreign 
government, although he did not mention the United States 
directly.  He also added that he would give Mexico's 45 
consulates in the U.S. more responsibilities to defend the 
rights of migrant workers living in the U.S.  AMLO did state, 
however, that his government was open to international 
cooperation and that he would have friendly, cooperative 
relationships with " all the societies and governments of the 
world." 
 
¶3. (SBU) Hoping to take advantage of February polls that show 
him ahead of National Action Party (PAN) candidate Felipe 
Calderon by almost 10 points, AMLO told the crowd that he 
would soon start the next phase of his campaign, visiting 
municipalities and rural regions of the country to get even 
closer to the public, finishing once again in Mexico City's 
Zocalo.  Jesus Ortega, AMLO's campaign coordinator, told us 
during a previous meeting that the objective of this second 
stage was to show AMLO as a team player, supporting other PRD 
candidates around the country and hopefully help them win 
their respective races (reftel).  The first two weeks of the 
second stage will focus on municipalities in the State of 
Mexico in an attempt to help PRD candidates campaigning in 41 
of the states 125 municipalities.  Winning the majority of 
those municipalities during March 12 elections would be a 
huge victory for the campaign.  The PRD currently controls 21 
of the state's municipalities and has only 19 representatives 
in the local congress.  The PRD, which was disappointed in 
last July's gubernatorial elections, hopes that recent 
scandals involving former PRI governor Montiel will erode the 
PRI's hold on one of the key 2006 states.  According to one 
source close to the campaign, it appears that PRD candidates 
will win in a number of the municipalities and hopefully 
place a strong second in the others. 
 
Running on Empty? 
 
¶4. (SBU) After the March 12 State of Mexico elections, AMLO 
will attempt to visit over 400 municipalities around the 
country, helping local PRD candidates and reaching out to 
poorer, rural voters.  Some analysts and observers claim that 
at an average of 5 campaign events a day, AMLO will run out 
 
MEXICO 00001311  002 OF 002 
 
 
of energy before the July 2 elections take place.  Those 
close to AMLO, however, state otherwise - telling us that 
AMLO will get stronger as the campaign continues.  A number 
of Citizens Network coordinators we met with said that AMLO 
gets his energy from the crowd and feeds off of their 
excitement.  Rafael Marin, coordinator for the three states 
encompassing the Yucatan peninsula and long-time AMLO friend, 
told us that when he was campaigning with AMLO in 1994 for 
the Tabasco governorship he would wake up before the sun rose 
and went to bed well past midnight - never once looking tired 
or skipping an event. 
 
Comment 
 
¶5. (U) There is a good chance AMLO will concentrate in this 
second phase of the campaign on areas where support is lower 
but where voters will have a higher impact on the election 
results.  According to a report in Reforma, six states 
represent 45.7% of possible voters - Mexico City, State of 
Mexico, Veracruz, Jalisco, Guanajuato, and Puebla.  AMLO is 
strongest in Mexico City and Veracruz, while the PRI controls 
State of Mexico, Jalisco and Puebla and the PAN holds 
Guanajuato.  Helping AMLO's cause in PRI territory are a 
number of recent desertions and scandals that have rocked his 
opponent's campaign.  At least one pollster has told us that 
disenchanted PRIistas are more likely to shift toward the PRD 
(a spin-off of the PRI) than the PAN.  According to Citizens 
Network coordinators we have met with, there are only a 
handful of states where AMLO holds third place, mostly in the 
north of the country. 
 
 
Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity 
 
GARZA