Mexican President’s Ally Threatens Members of Electoral Body
Mexican President’s Ally Threatens Members of Electoral Body
(Bloomberg) -- A close ally of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has threatened members of the country’s electoral body over his disqualified governorship candidacy, a sign of growing political tensions less than two months before key midterm elections.
Felix Salgado Macedonio, whose candidacy for governor of the state of Guerrero was annulled last month by electoral authority INE after missing a campaign finance deadline, said he will go after seven members of the body if he isn’t reinstated.
Supporters and members of the ruling Morena party, founded by Lopez Obrador, have been camping outside the INE offices in Mexico City for days, demanding that the politician be put back in the governor race.
“If they don’t vindicate themselves, we tell them at once: we will find all seven, we will look for them,” Salgado told about a hundred of these supporters on Monday.
On top of Salgado and Raul Moron, who was running for governor of the state of Michoacan, INE also revoked the candidacies of 61 other politicians running for municipal jobs on the June 6 election, 42 of them from Morena. Salgado aimed his fury at INE president Lorenzo Cordova in particular.
“We will go see Cordova. Wouldn’t the people of Mexico like to know where Lorenzo Cordova lives, where is his house?,” he said. “He does not have a clue about what we are fighting for in Guerrero.”
Cordova said that despite the intimidation campaign from Salgado, INE members would stick to their principles and continue with their work.
Despite being ahead in the polls, Salgado has become an increasingly awkward ally for Lopez Obrador. He secured his candidacy for governor in February despite rape and sexual harassment accusations against him from at least five women, which has led to divisions within Morena. So far, the president has given his full support to Salgado while questioning the impartiality of INE.
Lopez Obrador criticized the electoral body during his Tuesday conference, saying removing Salgado’s candidacy was a disproportionate decision.
”Fine him but don’t take him the right to participate, it’s the people who has to decide,” the president said. “If he is a bad candidate, a bad citizen, the people will sanction him.”
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