Who is Roberto Azevêdo? (And does he matter?)

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Kevin Lees

The only dispute between México and Brazil since the emergence of the World Trade Organization is a minor matter — Brazil opened a case in 2000 when it accused México of enacting anti-dumping measures on electronic transformers that were tougher than allowed under the WTO agreement.  Brazil, as it turned out, sought consultations with México, [...]

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World leaders descend upon Chávez funeral: one photo, but mil palabras

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Kevin Lees

What’s always been so interesting about chavismo is the way that the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez managed to build alliances both with just about every leader in Latin America, no matter how radical or moderate, while also building close alliances with a ‘who’s who’ of world rogue leaders on poor terms with the United States [...]

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How U.S. immigration reform might affect México

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Kevin Lees

The last time the United States seriously contemplated immigration reform, it was also immediately after the inauguration of a new Mexican president — Vicente Fox, a business-friendly conservative whose Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) came to power for the first time in 69 years, ousting the long-governing Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI). That was 12 years ago, and this time, the [...]

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Time names Barack Obama Person of the Year. Is that too US-centric?

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Kevin Lees

So Time Magazine’s decision to anoint a Person of the Year since 1927, for reasons unknown, holds a rapt audience among folks in the United States, myself included. This year (oh the suspense!), Time chose U.S. president Barack Obama.  In those 85 years, of course, Time has chosen every U.S. president (except Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover and poor Gerald [...]

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How AMLO’s spinoff movement could help the PRD in Mexico

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Kevin Lees

Since losing the 2012 Mexican presidential election on July 1 to Enrique Peña Nieto, Andrés Manuel López Obrador has been working at every turn to invalidate the result — through mass mobilization of his supporters to a lawsuit (since dismissed) charging wide scale fraud. López Obrador (known simply as “AMLO” throughout Mexico) came in a [...]

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Impressions of Oaxaca in México’s Peña Nieto era

Posted on September 3, 2012 by Kevin Lees

I have been in Oaxaca this weekend (and will be so until Tuesday of the following week — when Québec votes!) and I wanted to share just a little about what I’ve seen here, and how it colors my perception of Mexican politics. Oaxaca is the capital of Oaxaca state, which is by and large [...]

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Despite likely fraud, AMLO, #YoSoy132 protests seem destined to fail

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Kevin Lees

It’s been over half a month since Enrique Peña Nieto’s victory in the presidential election on July 1, but the protests against the electoral fraud alleged to have been committed by his party, the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), continue, however haltingly, especially in Mexico City. Although the street protests are mostly at the impetus of a student protest movement [...]

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Final Mexican election results (and some positive surprises for the PRD)

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Kevin Lees

We have some more final numbers for each of the key Mexican races from Sunday’s election, and in each case, it suggests that Mexico was warier than polls suggested about returning the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) — the party that governed Mexico for 71 years until 2000 – to power.  Furthermore, the results suggest Mexicans, under the [...]

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Peña Nieto and the PRI win Mexico’s general election after 12 years out of power

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Kevin Lees

The rapid count from Mexico’s federal election institute is in, and has projected that, as expected, Enrique Peña Nieto, the candidate of the the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), has been elected the next president of Mexico. Peña Nieto had between 37.93% and 38.55% of the vote. Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the candidate of the Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD), who [...]

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Mexico votes today!

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Kevin Lees

Mexican voters go to the polls today to elect a new president and a new Congress and the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) looks likely to win both the legislative elections and the presidency in frontrunner Enrique Peña Nieto. Voters in six states and the Distrito Federal will also vote for a new governor. While we wait, here’s the Danzon No. 2 by Arturo Márquez:

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Seven local Mexican elections to watch on Sunday

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Kevin Lees

With polls showing that Sunday’s federal elections will be a landslide for the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) and its presidential candidate, Enrique Peña Nieto, we have to look to the state-level elections for any suspense. Not to be forgotten amid the federal elections, six states and Mexico’s federal district hold elections on Sunday. The seven [...]

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From Cárdenas to López Obrador: Why the Mexican left just can’t win

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Kevin Lees

It’s been a bad century or so for you if you’re a Mexican leftist. Barring a huge upset, Sunday’s presidential and parliamentary elections are not going to change that. Despite coming within a very narrow margin of winning Mexico’s presidency in 2006, the candidate of the leftist Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD), Andrés Manuel López Obrador seems likely [...]

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Drug cartels and the security issue in the Mexican election

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Kevin Lees

One issue I have not emphasized much in advance of the Mexican presidential and legislative elections is the drug issue, because I don’t think that the issue alone has necessarily driven the resurgence of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) and the popularity of presidential candidate Enrique Peña Nieto. But it’s of course a huge issue, especially in the background, and [...]

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Forget EPN and his good looks…

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Kevin Lees

…here’s a throwback from the bad old days of the PRI era: José López Portillo, president from 1976 to 1982, who bears a striking resemblance to the character of George Bluth from Arrested Development. Cornballers in every kitchen! But seriously, Mexico is not going to go back to the López Portillo era if, as polls predict, the [...]

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The PRI also looks likely to sweep Mexico’s congressional elections on July 1

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Kevin Lees

The presidential race’s outcome may seem all but certain, but the race for Los Pinos has nonetheless received much more coverage than the legislative elections that take place on July 1 as well — and are just as vital to the comeback hopes for the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI). In addition to electing a president, Mexicans will elect 500 [...]

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