By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS

Salgado Macedonia Keeps Going and Going and Going

It seems that wannabe Guerrero governor Félix Salgado Macedonio just can’t take “no” for an answer.

Despite the fact that both the National Electoral Institute (INE) and the Guerrero Electoral Institute approved the cancelation of his candidacy for Mexico’s June 6 elections on grounds that he did not fully report pe-candidacy funding, the leftist National Regeneration Movement (Morena) candidate is still in full campaign mode, apparently convinced that by an act of God (or his bosom buddy President Andrés Manuel López Obrador), he will get to run and win the post.

The political Energizer Bunny, who has been accused of rape by at least five women and who is still under investigation for purported connections to drug cartels during the time he served as mayor of Acapulco between 2000 and 2003, remains seemingly undaunted by the growing plethora of allegations against him.

On Friday, April 2, the INE once against warned Morena that it can neither sponsor nor promote Salgado Macedonio’s media spots, which were supposed to stop airing on March 31 but did not.

Morena refused to accept the INE ruling against Salgado Macedonio’s campaign ads, claiming it had not been informed that he had been barred from running (apparently, the good folks at Morena don’t read newspapers, listen to the radio or watch tv).

The INE immediately responded with a legalese-laden letter that basically boiled down to saying Morena’s right hand doesn’t know what its left hand is doing since the party was officially informed of Salgado Macedonio’s removal as a legitimate candidate for office last week and was thus responsible for complying with the ruling.

“There is simply no sense is promoting a candidate that doesn’t exist,” said Mexican Electoral Tribunal Commissioner Ciro Murayama, who co-drafted the letter to Morena.

Two for the Money

In other Mexican electoral news, it seems Morena is doubling up on its candidacies in the northern state of Tamaulipas, where it registered two people to run for the mayorship of the border town of Reynosa.

On one hand, the leftist party registered Carlos Peña Ortiz, a former municipal official and the son of the current mayor, Maki Ortiz Domínguez (from the conservative National Action Party, or PAN), who is endorsed by Morena national leader Mario Delgado Carrillo. But on the other hand the party also registered long-time activist Giovanni Barrios Moreno, backed by the state Morena leader Enrique Torres Mendoza,

Tensions are definitely brewing between local and federal Morena leaders as to who the “legitimate” candidate will end up being, and pundits are expecting a showdown this week.

Meanwhile, another controversial candidate, María Eugenia “Maru” Campos, who is running for governor of Chihuahua and who is in the middle of a trial against her for allegedly having received more than 9 million pesos from former Governor César Duarte, currently imprisoned in the United States, managed to garner support and well wishes of the PAN Governors Association (GOAN) on Friday, April 2.

Despite the charges against her, the GOAN — which is composed of the governors of Aguascalientes, Baja California Sur , Chihuahua, Durango, Guanajuato, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, Tamaulipas and Yucatán — issued a Twitter proclamation on Saturday, April 3, commending Maru’s  “integrity and political trajectory.”

“We wish our friend and colleague Maru Campos much success in her campaign.,” the message said, adding that her expertise and credibility will guarantee a bright future for Chihuahua.”

The GOAN also called on the citizenry of Tamaulipas to “respect the due process and the presumption of innocence” in Campos’ case.

Campos officially launched her campaign on Sunday, April 4.

A Pandemic Surge Foretold

Most medical experts are predicting a significant surge in covid-19 cases in Mexico in the following week or so after massive numbers of Semana Santa celebrators flooded the country’s beaches, discos and other public places during the Easter break.

Popular resorts like Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco reported unprecedented attendance by Holy Week vacationers, properly armed with swimwear and plenty of booze, but few masks and little social distancing practices.

Despite repeated calls by Mexican public health authorities to stay home and take measures to prevent the spread of covid-19, national and foreign tourists alike celebrated the holiday like it was 2019, partying hardy and ignoring coronavirus safety protocols.

Hotel occupancy in Cancun alone, the main destination for international tourists, exceeded 65 percent in its more than 35,000 rooms, according to the Cancun Hotel Association. 

Mexico, with more than 400,000 confirmed cases of covid-19 and more than 200,000 deaths from the disease, is one of the three hardest-hit nations on Earth from the virus.

The country registered a significant surge in cases following the Christmas and New Year holiday break, and hospitals and medical personnel are now bracing for yet another spike in infections.

Mexico City is facing a growing potable water shortage due to a drought last year that left Valley of Mexico reserves at its lowest levels in 30 years.

“The severe drought is effecting the entire central part of Mexico, and particularly the Cutzamala Basin and the Valley of Mexico, and putting a strain on our municipal water system,” said Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum on Saturday, April 3, World Water Day.

“Consequently, we all have to make a special effort to not waste water, the precious fluid of life.” Normally, Sheinbaum said, the average rainfall in the Valley of Mexico is about 800 millimeters a year. But in 2020, she said, the region only received 582 millimeters of rainwater.

Sheinbaum went on to call on Mexico City residents to avoid watering their lawns or using water to wash down their balconies or wash their cars.

According to a recent United Nations study, 12 million Mexicans are currently living without access to clean, potable water.

Mexican Julia Child Dies

Chepina Peralta, Mexico’s answer to cooking television celebrity Julia Child, died on Saturday, April 3, at age 90.

Peralta, who wrote numerous cookbooks and was a regular on television and radio for more than four decades, was recognized as one of the pioneers in cooking programs broadcast in Mexico.

She began her broadcast career in 1967 and starred in more than 7,000 television and 9,000 radio programs.

…April 5, 2021