He is (probably) the next president of Mexico

Enrique Peña Nieto / DR

Let me tell you the story of another foregone conclusion.  Two years before the presidential election, all the Mexicans are convinced that the next president has already been chosen. A poll created a shock wave among the analysts : according to Consulta Mitofsky, an independent consulting office, the PRI candidate Enrique Peña Nieto would win the election with more than a 50% of the votes. It recalls another era – not so far from us – that lasted over 70 years, when the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) was a single party in Mexico.

Jorge Volpi enlightens debates

Jorge Volpi / DR

Reading Jorge Volpi is always a refined pleasure. The Mexican writer has a very lucid point of view on his contemporary world. How nice to listen to such a balanced intellectual, far from the political fights and so free in his mind. Jorge Volpi was invited by El Pais to chat with the readers of the Spanish newspaper. I translated some of his answers :

A few things to know about the Honduran election

Elvin Santos and Porfirio Lobo / DR

Just in time before Honduras vote: a short presentation of the election. Here are five things you should know about it.

– It is a general election. Not only the new president will be elected, but also Central American representatives, the 128 MPs and 298 city councils. So that the whole political landscape of Honduras will be determined by this election.

Jeffrey in the sky with diamonds

Jeffrey Max Jones... good stuff? / Photo : Senado de la República de México

What happened with Jeffrey Max Jones ? The Mexican Assistant Secretary of Agriculture took the drug dealers as a model during a speech! “Farmers should follow the example of drug traffickers because they produce what the market demands”, he said. As if it was not clear enough, he added : “If somebody knows about market laws nowadays, drug dealers do.” As he realized he was saying something ambiguous, he thought it was necessary to precise:

A sensitive issue

Maybe the topics could seem minor in Europe but in Latin America it is not. A large debate has surged all around the continent about “reeleccionismo”. And very few countries have remained outside. A tradition in many Latin American countries, inherited from the years of democratic transition, did not allow a president to be reelected.

What if Mexico didn’t win ?

Flickr/++Frank++

On Saturday, Mexico validated its ticket for the World Cup 2010, beating El Salvador 4-1 in the Azteca Stadium. A great joy for a team that was nearly eliminated a few months ago. Saturday night in Mexico City, 10.30 pm : the police begins an operation in order to take control of all the offices of Luz y Fuerza del Centro

Democracy in America…

The Konrad Adenauer Foundation published his annual report on democracy in Latin America. It contains the classification of different Latin American countries, established according to several criteria such as the respect for political rights, civil liberties or the quality of institutions. Conclusion of the report: “The development of a successful democratic culture remains a major challenge for many political leaders in Latin America.”