[Marxism] Political Crisis in Mexico Mounts as Opposition Rejects Privatization of Mexico's Oil Resources

[dave.walters@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Political Crisis in Mexico Mounts as Opposition
Rejects Privatization of Mexico's Oil Resources 

 By ALAN BENJAMIN

April 18, 2008 -- "The movement headed by Andrés Manuel López 
Obrador is fomenting a coup d'etat aimed at dismantling the Mexican 
nation and provoking a bloody civil war." This highly charged accusation 
by the Consejo Coordinador Empresarial (CCE), the equivalent of the 
Chamber of Commerce in the United States, was featured prominently 
in most of Mexico's newspapers this morning.

The spokesperson for the CCE, joined in a press conference by high-
ranking figures in the ruling right-wing National Action Party (PAN), 
called on PAN leader Felipe Calderón to put an immediate end to the 
takeover and occupation by the opposition movement of the Mexican 
Senate and National Assembly. Calderón was imposed as Mexico's 
president by massive fraud in July 2006 against López Obrador, the 
man most Mexicans consider to be their "legitimate" president. "The 
country is slipping into anarchy," the CCE spokesperson continued. 
"We call upon the president and the Security Forces to dislodge by 
force the Congresspersons and their gang of supporters from the premises 
of our National Congress."

For 10 days now, the Mexican Senate and National Assembly in Mexico 
City have been totally shut down, as opposition senators and deputies from 
the Broad Progressive Front (FAP) -- consisting of the Party of the 
Democratic Revolution (PRD), the Party of Labor (PT) and Convergencia -- 
have occupied the podiums of both legislative houses. They placed huge 
banners in both buildings that read, "Clausurado," or "Closed Down," 
explaining that both legislative branches would not be allowed to renew 
their deliberations until a genuine national debate could be organized on 
the proposals submitted by Calderón on April 8 to privatize Pemex, 
Mexico's national oil corporation.

Full:
http://veryleft.blogspot.com/2008/04/political-crisis-in-mexico-mounts.html________________________________________________
YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message.
Send list submissions to: Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Set your options at: 
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40archives.econ.utah.edu