* Seen from the press pit, Juanito, AMLO, and far right, Clara.
It sounded like another curious footnote to the otherwise unexceptional July 5 elections. In the Iztapalapa borough of Mexico City, the race for delegation chief was won by a cartoonish character known as "Juanito," from the tiny Partido de Trabajo, or Worker's Party. The PT often makes alliance tickets with the leftist PRD. But how did the little party beat all the big-shots outright?
It didn't. The "Juanito" win was all the plan of Andres Manuel López Obrador, the self-proclaimed "legitimate president" of Mexico. Here's the back-story: "Juanito," real name Rafael Acosta, struck a deal with allies in the opposition wing of the PRD, led by López Obrador, in which he would resign the office the day he assumes it, so that Mayor Marcelo Ebrard (also an AMLO man) would be required to appoint a replacement. That replacement is to be Clara Brugada, the AMLO-supported PRD candidate who was not allowed to run for Iztapalapa chief. The PRD wing currently in power, known as "Los Chuchos" for party president Jesús Ortega, muscled their own person on the ballot there.
Make sense so far?
Determined not to lose influence in Iztapalapa, AMLO's wing of the PRD conceived, executed, and delivered a defiant blow to the central leadership. The "Chuchos" candidate lost on Sunday. "Juanito" won Iztapalapa, but really it is Brugada who is the victor. The two in fact campaigned together, their images transmitted along with that of Andres Manuel, who succeeded in reminding the country just how strong his base of support really is. Iztapalapa is the most populated delegación in the capital, with 1.8 million people. It it were its own city it would be the fifth largest in the country.
Now, if this whole things sounds a little weird, that's because it is.
For starters, what's in it for Juanito (interview late in this clip) isn't clear right now. But still, on Saturday, "Juanito," Brugada, and AMLO staged a victory rally at Iztapalapa's central plaza, where thousands showed up to celebrate their win over the "mafia of power" -- which we're made to assume also includes adversaries within their own party.
From El Universal:
During this meeting of celebration on Iztapalapa's esplanade, banners were placed on light posts and other structures that demanded "Juanito" stay true to his word, that he would resign the delegational leadership to deliver it to Clara Brugada.
"Juanito," who in fact arrived 20 minutes to the event, showed off at all moments the official record of his win and his customary tri-colored headline, which instead of his nickname now bore the word, Delegado.
Yes, AMLO is considered a political outcast in most circles, but he still manages to wield tremendous rallying power among the lower classes, particularly in Mexico City. On Saturday, he used the ocassion to give a 30-minute speech, in which he geared up his base for the battle to come, 2012.
It really felt like a campaign rally from 2006. Andres Manuel told the people of Iztapalapa that the "mafia" is already prepping Enrique Peña Nieto, the PRI governor of the state of Mexico, to be their man for the next presidential race, as I previously suggested here. The crowds shouted their ardent boos, and calls of "AMLO!" and "López Obrador!" were heard as well.