OPINION By RICARDO CASTILLO Old habits die hard! Mexico’s democratic political system is currently undergoing a return to an age-old political habit once known as “la sucesión” (“the succession”), in which one candidate was picked to replace the man in power. This succession routine became a political mainstay back in the days of one-party rule, and was ruthlessly enforced by
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OPINION By RICARDO CASTILLO With four out of six state races for governor cleared, Mexico’s upcoming June 5 election is left to solve two main frays at the booths: Tamaulipas and Durango. Most pundits and polls agree that up ahead of schedule, the conservative National Action Party (PAN) will retain the central Mexican state of Aguascalientes, while the once-almighty centralist
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By RICARDO CASTILLO A recent vote at Mexico’s lower house Chamber of Deputies denying President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) the approval of his electricity reform left the impression that the country is politically “polarized,” that is, evenly divided in two political factions. AMLO’s supporters at the chamber missed the two-thirds majority goal they needed to pass the reform, which
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Maybe Mexican boxer Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez never saw the saga of movies on trigger-happy detective “Dirty Harry,” as wonderfully portrayed by that always-well-admired actor Clint Eastwood. In several of those movies, somewhere near the end, after beating an apparently unbeatable criminal, Dirty Harry would tell the previously invincible crook: “A man’s gotta know his limitations.” Bang! Actually,
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Happy Mexican Independence Bicentennial Anniversary! Sure, most Mexicans still consider Sept. 16, 1810, as the nation’s Independence Day, but in point of fact, the country really gained its sovereignty more than 11 years later. And so, Monday, Sept. 27, is the day that Mexico as an independent nation actually turns 200. For all practical and festooning purposes,
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Roberta’s Back In May 2018, then-outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Roberta Jacobson made a prediction, saying that she was not saying goodbye but rather “so long.” On Tuesday, March 23, Jacobson kept her promise and returned to Mexico, this time as U.S. President Joe Biden’s southern border affairs representative. Jacobson led a committee of U.S. officials in
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By RICARDO CASTILLO An Irate Response After Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) asked Supreme Court Chief Justice Arturo Zaldivar to order an investigation into Judge Juan Pablo Gómez Fierro (who indefinitely suspended the president’s controversial new electricity bill), Zaldivar complied and requested the officer in charge of the Council of the Judiciary, Carlos Alpízar, to pay a visit
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Erstwhile Aztec and Spaniards Meet in Court A major political war between the modern conquest version of the Aztec versus the Spaniards is now being wagered in Mexico between conservative and liberal forces. The conflict was sparked by the controversial ruling made by Second District Court for the Administration, Economic Competency and Broadcast Services for Mexico City
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By RICARDO CASTILLO New Mexican Tourist Resort Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) Saturday visited the largest of the three islands, popularly known as “Las Marías,” off the coast of Nayarit in the Pacific Ocean. During his visit, AMLO announced that in three months the archipelago, which once served as a federal prison, would open up to tourists as
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Lozoya Case Postponed The start date for the trial of former Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) Director Emilio Lozoya Austin was postponed on request of the Mexican Attorney General’s Office due to pandemic-related complications. The deadline was supposed to be last Sunday, March 7. Judge José Artemio Zúñiga Mendoza, however, granted investigators more time to conclude the presentation of
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