Philip Kirkland gave up the delights of Radstock nearly 4 years ago and, - with his mexican wife - Margarita - went to live in Mexico City. He has agreed to share some of his experiences with us on these pages.

Next year, 2006, will see the presidential elections in Mexico.

Of course, 2007 will see the start of campaigning for the 2012 elections. Unlike the UK or USA, the Mexican president only has one term and can promise whatever he likes before disappearing into retirement with a fat pension and a street named after him. If he is lucky or genuinely liked, as Lázaro Cárdenas was, he gets streets, neighbourhoods and even a whole city.

Vicente Fox Queseda

The incumbent, Vicente Fox Queseda came to power in 2000 promising to be the president of change, not difficult as the PRI party had been in power continuously for 71 years previously. He did change the openness of government and instigate a policy of transparency, but the most noticeable change was his wife. While in power he married his secretary, Martha Sagahun, who some are touting as the first “presidenta” of Mexico. This, of course, she has denied, which means she will be sure to run some time in the future, a la Hilary Clinton.

The most visible candidate so far in the chief of the city government, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, known to all and sundry as AMLO, and the head of the PRD party, which has never been in power. As 25% of the population lives in the metropolitan area, he has been careful to buy their votes, by shamelessly sprucing up the city and probably bankrupting his successor in the process. This has included building spectacular new roads in the sky and planting curious pyramid shape flower beds in the middle of the main avenue, Paseo de la Reforma. They make it look very pretty but damned hard to cross.

He is a jovial character who jousts with journalists at a daily 6AM press conference and speaks in sentences of one word each. He portrays him self as an ordinary man whose car is a Nissan, driven by a chauffer on a ministerial salary, and wears expensive imported suits. You have to like him, especially if you are in a union, where your ballot paper is already filled in for you when you arrive at the polling station.

His teammate, Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, is the son of the aforementioned Lázaro, and was born in the official residence of the president, Los Pinos. He has spent his entire political career trying to get home by any means possible. So far, this has meant changing from PRI to PRD, and as AMLO will almost certainly get the PRD nomination, he could stand as an independent, which is against the rules. There are two others who want to do the same, so the rules will probably be changed. Anything is possible in Mexican politics, with money or an alliance with an unrelated party.

Such a party is the Green Party, headed by the “Niño Verde”, who, as the name suggests is not much more than a schoolboy with a smug, self-satisfied expression who makes Jonathan Porrit look like a Thatcherite Conservative. Any party that makes an alliance with the Greens is genuinely interested in the environment, especially the one that surrounds the leader’s luxury home, paid for with the corruptly acquired taxpayer’s money.

The current presidents party, PAN, doesn’t seem to have an outstanding candidate right now, except his wife, but as she is already effectively the president, it would be against the rules to stand again. The only other candidate is the Secretary of State, Santiago Creel, a midget with a permanent George Michael growth of beard.

So, could PRI start another 70 years of government? Not if AMLO has his way. It is said that the reason he is standing, other than wanting to do the best for Mexico, serve his country, etc, etc, is that PRI´s candidate, Roberto Madrazo, once beat him to the governorship of the state of Tabasco and he wants revenge.

Such is the state of politics in Mexico.
It’s a good thing I’m not allowed to vote…
or maybe the rules could be changed.
- Let me check my bank account.

Philip Kirkland