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18. Mexico's Stolen Election 19. People’s Movement Challenges Neoliberal Agenda Overwhelming evidence reveals massive fraud in the 2006 The US free trade model is meeting increasingly successful Mexican presidential election between "president-elect" Felipe resistance as people's movements build powerful alternatives to Calderon of the conservative PAN party and Andrés Manuel neoliberal exploitation. This is particularly evident in Latin L6pez Obrador of the more liberal PRD. In an election riddled America, where massive opposition to US economic domination with "arithmetic mistakes", a partial recount uncovered evidence has demanded that populist leaders and parties take control of of abundant stuffing and stealing of ballots that favoured the PAN national governments in Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, victory. Brazil, Nicaragua and Uruguay. Meanwhile, US interests were significantly invested in the On April 30, 2007, Hugo Chavez announced that, having paid outcome of Mexico's election. Though neither candidate had any off debts to the World Bank and the IMF, Venezuela would cut choice but to cooperate with the US agenda, important differences ties with both institutions. existed around energy policy, specifically with regard to foreign In April 2006, Bolivia's Evo Morales announced his rejection of privatisation of Mexican oil and gas reserves. Calderén promised the IMF and any future FTA with the US. Tens of millions of a more thorough and streamlined exploitation of Mexico's oil, dollars in revenue from royalties paid by foreign gas companies demanding that Mexico remove barriers to private/foreign have enabled Bolivia to pay off its IMF debt and begin to build investment (which are currently written into the Mexican social programs and national reserves. Constitution). Obrador insisted on maintaining national ownership In December 2006, Rafael Correa, who won the presidential and control of the energy sector in order to build economic and election in Ecuador on an anti-privatisation, anti-US military base social stability in Mexico. platform, announced plans to restructure Ecuador's foreign debt in In June 2005, Mexico signed an accord—the Alliance for the order to increase spending on crucial social programs. Ecuador Security and Prosperity of North America (ASPAN)—with has since paid its debt to the IMF and announced plans to sever Canada and the USA. The point was ties to the institution. made that this accord would be Nicaragua's President Daniel binding on whoever became president Ortega has also announced of Mexico in the upcoming elections. . . negotiations toward an IMF exit. Included in ASPAN is a guarantee to Mexico has been denied the Argentina's economy, in a it ners ofthe tSmast | _qemocratic election of af nat lablc expansion wtih wa common theory of security", allowing president who might have according to IMF predictions, has vSitametnd Seg mesures | joined Latin America in ov" by £7 ec inh ms fey When Obrador appeared to be the standing up to aggressive break with the IMF in January 2006 front-runner in the election, PAN H ial by paying off its remaining $9.9 allied with forces in the US to launch US neoliberal policies. billion debt. a feverish campaign against him. As of December 2005, Brazil was Though US laws prevent American free to make its own decisions, free influence in other countries' from IMF interference, after paying elections, anti-Obrador ads airing on Mexican TV were designed off its debt two years ahead of schedule. by US firms and illegally financed by business councils that While it is an expanding reality that many strong and growing included such transnationals as Wal-Mart and Halliburton. A people's movements have not been so fortunate as to have media campaign fomented fear that Obrador, with ties to Chavez _ representative governments, more and more elected leaders in and Castro, posed a dangerous socialist threat to Mexico. Latin America are providing models of true democratic leadership Outgoing president Vicente Fox violated campaign law by that is of, for and by the people. making dozens of anti-Obrador speeches during the campaign, as (Sources: Jorge Rueda, "Venezuela Pulling Out of IMF, World PAN illegally saturated airwaves with swift-boat-style attack ads Bank," AP, May 1, 2007; Jessica Walker Beaumont, "Is the US against Obrador. Under Mexican law, ruling party interference is Free Trade Model Losing Steam?", Trade Matters, American a serious crime and ground for annulling an election. Friends Service Committee, May 3, 2006, http://www.afsc.org/ While Obrador's campaigners and hundreds of independent trade-matters/trade-agreements/LosingSteam.htm; Mark election observers documented several hundred cases of election Weisbrot, "Economic Policy Changes With New Latin American fraud in making their case for a recount, most Mexican TV Leaders", International Herald Tribune , December 28, 2006, stations failed to report the irregularities that surfaced. Days after —_ http://www.cepr.net/index.php?option=com_content&task= the election, the New York Times irresponsibly declared Calderén view& id=773&Itemid=45) the winner, and Bush called to congratulate Calderén personally on his "win", even though no victor had been declared under = 20. Terror Act Against Animal Activists Mexican law. The term "terrorism" has been dangerously expanded to include Mexico has been denied the democratic election of a president acts that interfere, or promote interference, with the operations of who might have joined Latin America in standing up to animal enterprises. The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA), aggressive US neoliberal policies. signed into law on November 27, 2006, broadens punishment (Sources: Chuck Collins and Joshua Holland, "Evidence of present under the Animal Enterprise Protection Act (AEPA) of Election Fraud Grows in México", AlterNet, August 2, 2006, 1992. One hundred and sixty groups, including the National http://www.alternet.org/story/39763; "Mexico: The Political Lawyers’ Guild, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Volcano Rumbles", Revolution, September 10, 2006, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, oppose this Act http://revcom.us/a/060/mexico-volcano-en.html) on grounds that its terminology is dangerously vague and poses a president who might have joined Latin America in standing up to aggressive US neoliberal policies. 20. Terror Act Against Animal Activists The term "terrorism" has been dangerously expanded to include acts that interfere, or promote interference, with the operations of animal enterprises. The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA), signed into law on November 27, 2006, broadens punishment present under the Animal Enterprise Protection Act (AEPA) of 1992. One hundred and sixty groups, including the National Lawyers’ Guild, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, oppose this Act on grounds that its terminology is dangerously vague and poses a NEXUS = 17 Mexico has been denied the democratic election of a DECEMBER 2007 — JANUARY 2008 www.nexusmagazine.com