P R 241832Z JUN 09
FM AMCONSUL GUADALAJARA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1443
INFO AMEMBASSY MEXICO 
ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
AMCONSUL GUADALAJARA

C O N F I D E N T I A L GUADALAJARA 000237 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  6/24/2019 
TAGS: PGOV PINR MX
SUBJECT: TRUDGING TOWARD ELECTION DAY:  INTERNAL TURMOIL, EXTERNAL 
INDIFFERENCE DOMINATE WESTERN MEXICO CAMPAIGNS 
 
REF: A)  GUADALAJARA 112;  B)  MEXICO 1758;  C)  MEXICO 1667; 
     D)  MEXICO 1630 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Edward Ramotowski, Principal Officer, EXEC, 
Department of State. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
¶1.  (C)  Summary: The election campaigns in Jalisco and Colima 
have not generated much popular enthusiasm and participation 
rates on Election Day are likely to be low. While the dominant 
National Action Party (PAN) in Jalisco is confronting a number 
of scandals as well as an economic downturn, neither the 
opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) nor the Party 
of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) have been able to capitalize 
on this by presenting compelling candidates or policies. While 
the PAN will almost certainly suffer some losses, its current 
dominance of Jalisco politics is likely to continue, and the 
party also has a chance of winning the governorship in 
neighboring Colima state. End Summary. 
 
---------------------- 
Flashes in the PAN 
---------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U)  After fierce internal scuffling, the three major 
factions of the Jalisco PAN party (each headed by a current or 
former governor) agreed on a slate of candidates that heavily 
favored Francisco Ramirez Acuna's group. A large majority of 
state and federal deputy slots were won by this faction, as was 
the nomination for mayor of Guadalajara (the crown jewel of 
Jalisco municipalities and traditionally a stepping-stone to the 
state governorship. An ally of current Governor Emilio Gonzalez 
received the consolation prize of the nomination for mayor of 
Zapopan, Jalisco's second largest city. 
 
¶3.  (C)  While the internal party competition was heated, the 
PAN largely preserved an image of external unity. Ramirez Acuna 
was magnanimous in victory, and Emilio Gonzalez gracious in 
defeat. One exception was former Guadalajara Mayor Fernando 
Garza, who unsuccessfully sought the nomination for his old job 
and noisily charged that the selection process was rigged when 
Ramirez Acuna ally Jorge Salinas got the nod. Garza quit the 
party, and quixotically threw in his lot with the opposition 
PRD. Jesus Ortega, the PRD's national president, briefly 
embraced Garza as a high-profile candidate for Guadalajara mayor 
but the Jalisco PRD could not stomach the thought and derailed 
Garza's nomination. 
 
-------------------------- 
Back to Center Stage? 
-------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C)  Ramirez Acuna himself, a year after being replaced as 
federal Interior Secretary by President Calderon, is poised to 
reenter national politics. He is the PAN nominee for Federal 
Deputy in Zapopan's District 10, a district one commentator 
described as "so conservative the PAN could run a dead dog and 
win." Ramirez Acuna's real goal is to become the PAN leader in 
the federal Congress, a high profile position from which to 
launch a run for President in 2012. 
 
----------------------------- 
Pandemonium in the PRI 
----------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C)  The PAN's candidate selection process was positively 
tranquil compared to the tumultuous spectacle in the PRI. The 
party has held few major offices in Jalisco since 1995 and 
suffers from a dearth of highly qualified candidates. The 
"dinosaurs" from the pre-1995 era have experience but lack a 
connection to younger voters. Another group of politicians is 
less senior but has lost a series of electoral contests to the 
ruling PAN over the years. Finally, there is a coterie of 
promising young prospects, the majority of whom lack executive 
experience. After a great deal of debate, the PRI chose a 
younger candidate, Jorge Aristoteles Sandoval, to run against 
the PAN's seasoned Jorge Salinas. 
 
¶6.  (C)  The real battle erupted over deputy slots, with each of 
the PRI's many interest groups competing for the best districts 
and places. Jalisco PRI President Javier Guizar attempted a coup 
de main, registering his preferred slate with the electoral 
authorities at the exceptionally early hour of 7:30 am - away 
from the media and other possible critics. The virulent outcry 
at these "stealth" nominations led to sit-ins and protests at 
PRI headquarters, and the dispatch of a mediator from Mexico 
City. After several days of tense negotiations in late April, 
Guizar was fired and the PRI's electoral list was reworked to 
better satisfy the party's many factions. Bruised feelings 
remain, however, and are hindering the PRI's public campaign. 
 
----------------- 
The Also-Rans 
----------------- 
 
¶7.  (C)  Although the leftist PRD has pockets of support in the 
Guadalajara metropolitan area, especially in the University of 
Guadalajara, it is not a major force in Jalisco politics. After 
bucking its national leadership and rejecting PAN turncoat 
Fernando Garza as nominee for Mayor of Guadalajara, the Jalisco 
PRD chose an ideologically pure but practically unelectable 
candidate. The Party's best chance to break the PAN's political 
dominance in the Guadalajara metropolitan area is probably in 
Tlajomulco, a fast-growing suburb where the incumbent PAN mayor 
has suffered from a number of corruption scandals. 
 
¶8.  (U)  One other notable fact about the Guadalajara mayoral 
race is the presence of the first openly gay candidate in a 
major Mexican election. Miguel Antonio Galan has no chance to 
win, but is running to raise the popular consciousness with 
respect to homosexual rights. The Green Party, which in 
Guadalajara is paradoxically pro-development, homophobic, and 
supportive of capital punishment, also has a candidate, as do 
several other minor parties. 
 
----------------------- 
Sorting Out the Mix 
----------------------- 
 
¶9.  (C)  The campaign season got off to a late start because of 
influenza-related restrictions in early May, but is now ramping 
up. Although current polls show PRI candidates within striking 
distance of their PAN opponents in many races, it is hard to 
gauge the true depth of the PRI's support, especially in view of 
that party's continuing turmoil in the wake of the electoral 
registration debacle. While the current environment (souring 
economy, influenza restrictions, growing security worries, and a 
series of self-inflicted verbal wounds by the Governor (reftel 
A) would tend to favor the opposition, the PAN has been making a 
show of its party unity and executive experience, as well as 
dispensing public funds for a host of community projects 
throughout the state. PAN candidates have also been trading on 
President Calderon's relatively high popularity by emphasizing 
their support for his policies. 
 
¶10.  (C)  There are also persistent rumors of a political pact 
between Ramirez Acuna and Raul Padilla - the de facto leader of 
the University of Guadalajara and a powerful influence in both 
the Jalisco PRI and PRD. The speculation is that in exchange for 
development guarantees and support for the removal of his rival 
Carlos Briseno as UdeG rector, Padilla agreed to not work 
actively against Ramirez Acuna and his political allies. Other 
speculation centers around an alleged decision by national PRI 
leader Beatriz Paredes to focus the party's resources on other 
states where the PRI has brighter electoral prospects. 
 
 
-------------------------- 
Meanwhile, in Colima: 
-------------------------- 
 
¶11.  (C)  The governorship is the key contest in Mexico's second 
smallest state, which has always been dominated by the PRI. That 
could change this year, as the PAN's candidate, current Senator 
and former mayor of Manzanillo Martha Sosa is running a strong 
but not error-free campaign. Rumors of narcotrafficking ties 
surround the PRI candidate, former Colima city mayor Mario 
Anguiano, whose brother and a cousin are serving long sentences 
for drug crimes. The fact that Anguiano was handpicked by 
outgoing Governor Silverio Cavazos also irritated some PRI 
factions, who have been lukewarm in their support. While the PRI 
party machinery remains powerful in Colima, the state is also 
noteworthy in being the first in Mexico to elect a female 
governor, in 1978. Sosa should definitely not be counted out. 
 
-------------------------------- 
Comment: Cynicism Reigns 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶12.  (C)  The most noteworthy feature of the 2009 elections is 
the lack of popular enthusiasm for any of the candidates. While 
party stalwarts continue to attend the obligatory rallies, the 
general public seems largely apathetic, despite the very real 
economic challenges confronting the region. Indeed, a protest 
movement advocating that voters nullify their ballots or cast 
blank ones has arisen, drawing condemnation from state election 
officials. The political debate has been largely dominated by 
charges of unpaid taxes, misuse of public funds, and a 
quasi-comical attempt by mayoral candidates to prove their 
drug-free status, further increasing public cynicism. 
 
¶13.  (C)  The PAN leadership expects to hold Guadalajara and 
Zapopan (where recent polls show its candidates with narrow 
leads) but concedes that the smaller suburban cities of 
Tlaquepaque, Tonala, and Tlajomulco will be uphill struggles. 
The PAN also expects to hold a narrow majority in the Jalisco 
legislature. Given Jalisco's innate conservatism, the lack of 
compelling opposition candidates, and widespread public apathy, 
this forecast does not seem unreasonable. Should the "protest 
vote" actually shift towards the opposition, however, the PRI 
could stage an upset. 
 
 
RAMOTOWSKI