Echeverría celebrates 96th birthday in the hospital

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Echeverría celebrates 96th birthday in the hospital

After surviving the fake news of his death, former Mexican President (1970 – 1976) Luis Echeverría celebrates this Wednesday his 96th birthday. In this occasion, the former Head of State is receiving his guests at a hospital, where he is under medical supervision due to a respiratory condition. We've been told it's a preventive medical care and that he will remain in the hospital until the cold wave passes. The former President celebrates this joyous occasion surrounded by his children María del Cármen, Álvaro, María Esther, Benito, Pablo, y Adolfo, as well as his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Per his doctor's orders, he won't receive further visitors or phone calls. Oh, Mr. Luis seems to be back in the spotlight after the false news that he had died spread on social networks.

Fake signatures for independent candidates

A few days ago, the National Electoral Institute (INE) , led by councilor Lorenzo Córdova , announced there had been irregularities in the signatures gathered by aspiring independent candidates and panic spread among the Senate. Immediately, three Senators, all from Mexico City, stopped pursuing their political aspirations. Now that they are at risk of facing a criminal proceeding, according to our sources, it's possible that aspiring independent candidates running for President who have gathered thousands of “signatures” do the same, as 50% to 90% of the alleged citizens who “signed” are not registered in the Official Voter's List. Uh-oh.

The PRI's powder keg in Chiapas

The situation of who will run for Governor of Chiapas, for the center-right Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), has turned into a real powder keg. Our sources say time is of an essence because the registration of aspiring candidates has a deadline of January 22, and the PRI's meeting of delegates meets on February 16. So, a tough political agreement will have to be reached so that the groups of the two aspiring candidates, Senator Roberto Albores and Willy Ochoa , president of the local Congress, end up satisfied with the result. Our sources say that if the process is done carelessly, one of the two – Mr. Willy or Mr. Roberto – may decide to leave the PRI altogether but not the contest, similar to the case of José Antonio Aguilar.

Smoke commission

It's not a joke, this is real. The 2018 Electoral Contest Supervision Commission of the Congress of the Union, chaired by Deputy José Sandoval of the center-right Green Party (PVEM) is only going to be in session for 15 days since that was the consensus reached at the Executive Board. Thus, the Commission will disappear on January 31 and it shall be up to the legislators to decide whether this legislative body becomes a Bicameral organism or if each of the legislative HQ's will create their own commission. The members thereto have agreed to discuss the most important topics for the elections in the remaining two weeks , such as electoral violence, use of public resources to avoid the unlwaful use of resources, among others. It's not that we doubt the capacity of the legislators but, are they really going to resolve the crucial electoral matters in 15 days? We'll see.

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