VZCZCXRO1321
RR RUEHCD RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHGD #0119/01 0681622
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 091622Z MAR 07
FM AMCONSUL GUADALAJARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0073
INFO RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 1321
RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RUEHGD/AMCONSUL GUADALAJARA 4093

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GUADALAJARA 000119 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR WHA/MEX AND ECA/PE/V/R/W 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR OEXC MX
SUBJECT: EMILIO TAKES CHARGE:  JALISCO GETS THIRD SUCCESSIVE PAN 
GOVERNOR 
 
REF: GUADALAJARA 0024 
 
GUADALAJAR 00000119  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  Summary:  Former Guadalajara Mayor Emilio Gonzalez Marquez 
assumed the Governorship of Jalisco March 1, calling upon his 
constituents to "think big" and work together to make the state 
a leader in business, education, social services, and 
environmental protection.  He also promised to put greater 
emphasis on human rights and transparency in government.  His 
warm and open manner has earned him greater public support than 
his predecessor, Francisco Ramirez Acuna (now Interior Minister) 
enjoyed.  "Emilio" (as he is almost universally called) and 
three members of his cabinet have participated in US Voluntary 
Visitor programs, and the Consulate enjoys an excellent working 
relationship with him and his team.  End Summary. 
 
The Long Wait Is Over: 
--------------------------------- 
¶2.  Emilio Gonzalez's March 1 inauguration was the culmination 
of an extraordinarily long transition period from his narrow 
July 2, 2006 election victory.  This awkward eight month gap, a 
quirk of Jalisco's electoral calendar, was made somewhat easier 
when outgoing Governor Francisco Ramirez Acuna and his 
predecessor, Alberto Cardenas, both received federal Cabinet 
posts in late November.  The absence of these two prominent 
power-brokers from the daily scene afforded Gonzalez Marquez 
more breathing space to begin establishing his own authority. 
Nevertheless, both former governors are keeping their hands in 
Jalisco politics, and Emilio was careful to include 
representatives of each in his new cabinet. 
 
¶3.  Undoubtedly the most anxious moments of the transition were 
the last 24 hours, when the patio of the Legislative Palace was 
filled with tents of opposition party legislators protesting the 
allocation of committee assignments by the PAN Congressional 
leadership.  Thirty minutes prior to the start of the 
inauguration ceremony, the tents were removed in a gesture of 
goodwill toward the incoming governor, and the event proceeded 
smoothly. 
 
Thinking Big 
-------------------- 
¶4.   In his inaugural speech, Gonzalez Marquez called on all 
sectors of society to form a "Grand Alliance for Jalisco" and to 
"think big" to make the state a leader in generating more and 
better jobs, strengthening public security, and improving the 
overall quality of life.  As part of this effort, he promised to 
work to eliminate hunger, illiteracy, and domestic violence, and 
fortify the state's environmental protection efforts.  The new 
Governor also pledged to make Jalisco's government the most 
transparent in Mexico, and to avoid the abuse of power - two 
subjects on which his predecessor received much criticism 
(reftel).  In a gesture of conciliation, he also paid tribute to 
opposition political leaders, including his PRI opponent in the 
gubernatorial race, Arturo Zamora.  Public and media reaction to 
his remarks was highly favorable. 
 
¶5.   Some other "big thoughts" were also circulating in the 
press at the same time, namely speculation over Emilio's 
presidential prospects in 2012.  He would be in his last year as 
governor then, and several mega-projects including the Pan 
American Games and the opening of Guadalajara's branch of the 
Guggenheim Museum are scheduled for 2011.  The prestige of these 
events, combined with a successful gubernatorial term, could 
make Gonzalez Marquez an attractive candidate for the PAN's 
presidential nomination.  This possibility was probably not lost 
on several members of the august audience present for Emilio's 
inauguration; both Francisco Ramirez Acuna and Alberto Cardenas 
are said to have presidential aspirations, and the ambitious PAN 
governor of Aguascalientes, Luis Reynoso Femat, may also be 
eyeing higher office. 
 
A Kinder, Gentler Governor 
--------------------------------------- 
¶6.  Emilio's warm and open public demeanor contrasts markedly 
with the somewhat imperious and aloof bearing of his 
predecessor, and is an important political asset.  Immediately 
after the ceremony, he stopped to chat briefly with members of 
the small group of protesters that had gathered outside.  Later 
that day, he shed his coat and tie and climbed into an excavator 
digging trenches for a drainage project in a poor area of the 
city to emphasize his commitment to infrastructure development. 
His flair for showmanship was established early in his political 
career; on his first day as Guadalajara mayor, for example, he 
donned a police uniform and rode in a patrol car to underline 
his concern for public security.  These events not only produce 
great photo ops, they also forge a personal bond with the 
citizenry and help cement his popularity. 
 
 
Comment:  A Good Start: 
 
GUADALAJAR 00000119  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
----------------------------------- 
¶7.  The Consulate has an excellent working relationship with 
Emilio and members of his cabinet.  The new Governor, along with 
his Secretaries of Culture, Environment, and Finance have 
participated in US Voluntary Visitor programs and are favorably 
disposed toward the United States.  His Secretary of Public 
Security, Luis Carlos Najera, has a long-standing history of 
close collaboration with DEA and other US law enforcement 
agencies.  Emilio himself pledged complete cooperation on 
counternarcotics efforts when he met DEA Administrator Karen 
Tandy in February.  He has also signaled a willingness to pursue 
vigorously issues such as oral trials, greater transparency in 
government, and administrative reform that languished under his 
predecessor.  Jalisco's innate conservatism, rough politics, and 
creaky bureaucracy will be formidable obstacles, but we will 
take him at his word and press forward on all of these fronts. 
RAMOTOWSKI