A "Quiet" Election

From The Mex Files (yesterday):

Oaxaca is reported to have had a “quiet” election. So far, PRI is receiving slightly less than half of those votes. Well, yeah… ballots were burned in La Ventosa and a reporter shot in Salina Cruz, which counts as an incident free election in that state.

This is the first I've heard about a reporter being shot, and I don't read anything in the link provided to verify the statement. Am I just missing it?

Clean Sweep

By all accounts the PRI won yesterday's statewide election in a clean sweep. Also by all accounts, voting in Oaxaca was at a staggering low. Papers today report between 69% to 77% voter abstentionism rates, with El Universal, a major paper out of Mexico City, pegging the lack of turnout at 77.99%, the highest voter absentee rate I've seen in posted in any of today's papers.

Cynicism about democracy in Oaxaca seems alarmingly high. I've spoken with a handful of Oaxacan adults between the ages of 24 to 40, all registered to vote, all educated, and all currently working, and the consensus was that the PRI would not lose this election no matter how many people voted against them because the whole system is grotesquely corrupt. To that end, even, many Oaxacans with whom I've spoken about last week's bombing of a Sears store in the commercial district believe the government perpetrated the act as an excuse to militarize the city days ahead of the election, thus guaranteeing the delivery of PRI victories.

There's not a whole lot unexpected about the PRI victory. Noticias, a small paper out of Oaxaca, reports today that, in an action reminiscent of last summer's major protests, members of Section 22, the local teachers union, and APPO, the leading popular opposition group, erected a small encampment* in the zocalo over the weekend (no link available) from which to protest the legitimacy of the government and to rally for improved human rights in Oaxaca. It will be interesting to see where things go from here.

*Correction posted above.

Clearinghouse

It's an interesting week in Oaxaca. Here's a quick look at what's going on.

- Statewide elections will be held this Sunday, August 5, and quite a lot of attention is focused on whether the PRI will remain in power. The PRI, for its part, is working hard to attract a new voting demographic, as far as I can tell. All five of the candidates campaigning for deputy positions in the state of Oaxaca are women. Take that for whatever it's worth.

I think it's great that elections here are held on the weekend, when working people have time to vote, though I'm frankly surprised they'll be held on Sunday, not Saturday. I'm sure this isn't for nothing. Probably buses don't run as often or the PRI knows full well that Catholics may opt not to vote on the Sabbath. This is mere speculation on my part, and as yet I've done no research to support my theories. On a side note I learned today that the sale of alcohol is prohibited citywide (and presumably throughout the state) on an election weekend. I get the impression that that's not a very enforceable law, because there are at least three small tiendas on every block here and they all sell liquor. Still, though, that's bound to put a dent in the weekend profits in the touristy places. (Perhaps there's a waiver for these. After all, tourists can't vote in these elections.)

- In a follow up to an earlier post, the Houston Chronicle reports that Governor Ulises Ruiz did indeed meet with Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International. Ms. Khan presented a report Tuesday pressuring the government of Oaxaca and the federal government of Mexico to investigate human rights violations related to political unrest in Oaxaca over the past 14 months. According to the Houston Chronicle, the governor's response went like this:

Ruiz, who met with Khan on Tuesday, rejected Amnesty's report as one-sided.

"We don't agree with the report and we told them that we believe those who wrote it are advisers for the APPO," he said.

There you have it. Also on the topic of human rights abuses, the Interamerican Commission on Human Rights announced today that representatives will be in Mexico City and Oaxaca next week. The group plans to investigate, if I read the Spanish correctly, the overall state of affairs concerning human rights issues in Oaxaca at this moment.

- A small explosion took place on Wednesday in the entryway of a Sears store in Oaxaca's Commercial District. The rebel group EPR (People's Revolutionary Army, in English), claimed responsibility. There were no injuries resulting from the blast. Apparently another device was discovered at a Banamex bank branch in the Colonia Reforma neighborhood, northeast of the city center. This was defused and disposed of without incident. I don't know very much about the EPR , but according to a friend here the group has been agitating for several years for the release of political prisoners. He assumes the bombing and attempted bombing were meant to increase pressure on the government as the August 5 elections draw near. It is my distinct impression that, while related to the oppressive regime of Governor Ulises Ruiz, these actions stand separate from the protests and public outcry witnessed here the past 14 months.

That's about it from here right now. I'm coming up a little short on diversity as I continue to read and learn more about Oaxaca, and I feel like I keep tapping the same sources again and again as I try to verify information for my posts. If anybody has tips on good news sources, blogs or .orgs relating to Oaxaca, please post a comment or send a note to mattplav@gmail.com. Thanks.

Compromiso Cumplido

At the moment, Oaxaca is in the midst of another in what may prove to be a long series of convulsions. There will be periods of relative calm, interspersed with violence, as the armed elements of state repression battle desperately to hang on to the status quo in the face of massive civic unrest.

--Stan, Oaxaca resident

This quote, taken from a July 20 post on Mexico Premiere, pretty well articulates the state of things in Oaxaca right now. The atmosphere is not scary but is definitely tense. The Guelaguetza, the increased police presence in the city, ongoing government repression, the continuing lag in tourism compared to previous years, the upcoming statewide elections--these are the issues people are talking about everywhere we go. I don't sense panic or fear in the city, but uncertainty and a distinct lack of optimism.

Last night Jenna and I attended a showing of the documentary Compromiso Cumplido, (True to My Pledge), which unflinchingly chronicles the events leading up to last year's ultimate clash between federal forces and civil protesters. You can watch the movie online here, but only en espanol. Unfortunately I can't find a version with English subtitles online. Be forewarned that there are real-life scenes of explicit violence and death.

The film tells the story of escalating violence in the city by recounting the murders--or assassinations--of six victims of last year's violence. Survivors of the dead and many witnesses are interviewed in front of the camera. Victims of harrasment, intimidation and undue arrest tell their stories as well. At least one person interviewed, Flavio Sosa, has been imprisoned since appearing in the documentary.

The film presents a Oaxaca turned upside down. The zocalo (Oaxaca's central square) is no longer a leisurely park flanked by cafes and shops but is transformed into a massive encampment of tarps and temporary shelters for tens of thousands* of teachers with their children and families. Popular tourist avenues are devoid of visitors. Businesses are shuttered.

The streets are populated instead by groups of protesters rallying for change. Fires burn in the streets and messages of resistance appear in spraypaint on every available surface. Helicopters fly overhead, firing tear gas grenades straight down into crowds while columns of police in riot gear stand in ranks behind plexiglass shields, awaiting either instruction or provocation. Civilian patrols track the movements of police and paramilitary groups. Citywide, roads are barricaded against invasion and neighborhoods monitored by teams of civic minded residents attempting to reduce episodes of intimidation, violence and murder presented by the state police and by armed paramilitary groups sponsored by the prevailing political party, the PRI.

The movie is a sobering slap in the face for wide-eyed travelers (like me) who might be tempted to take in the mid-conflict tenor of revolutionary politics with a sort of incredulous awe. For an American, to whom the notion of interactive democracy often invokes yawn-inducing scenes from C-Span, city council meetings in badly lit municipal buildings, or bland, street corner efforts to gather signatures for petitions, the idea of actually doing something is pretty grand. Like, just for instance, effectively and peacefully crippling the economy of a city of more than 250,000 inhabitants. Compromiso Cumplido, however, quickly strips away the varnish left by 80-word news blurbs and glossy photos of inspiring political graffiti and forces a serious reconsideration of the current situation.

Obviously, something has got to change. After watching this movie I am yet more inclined to side against the government. It wasn't really a question for me, but now it's even harder to give anyone with a uniform or a government ID the benefit of the doubt. The questions that remain are what will change?, and how?, and how bad will the situation get for the people of Oaxaca before it gets better? Compromiso Cumplido offers a chilling look at where the city was as recently as 7 or 8 months ago, and makes unavoidably clear the fact that nothing is resolved.

*This originally read "thousands of teachers . . .", but that number is far too small. At the height of the demonstrations upwards of 70,000 teachers and their families were encamped at the zocalo and spilled out into the surrounding avenues.