August News Summary

CHIAPAS / ZAPATISTA NEWS SUMMARY

1. Zapatistas/Other Campaign
For the past several weeks Subcomandante Marcos, aka Delegate Zero, has been traveling to different states near Mexico City for private meetings with Other Campaign adherents. Before beginning his travels, he announced that some commanders from the Sixth Commission would soon join him to help with the struggle to free the Atenco political prisoners. The Other Campaign's original plan was that a group of commanders would leave the Jungle in September. It looks like that plan has not changed. Marcos also issued a communiqué on behalf of the Sixth Commission
stating that they were "preparing the next steps." In the communiqué, the Sixth Commission greeted the APPO in Oaxaca, which currently occupies municipalities throughout the state to demand that the governor leave office. APPO representatives are in Mexico City negotiating a resolution to the conflict with the federal government.

2. Presidential Election Update
Mexico's highest electoral court ruled Monday against the challenges filed by Lopez Obrador and his "For the Good of All" Coalition. This basically paves the way for certification of Felipe Calderón
of the conservative National Action Party (PAN, its initials in Spanish) to be declared president. The court has until September 6 to give a final vote count and name the president-elect. Meanwhile, Lopez Obrador has vowed to establish a left alternative government and has called for a Democratic National Convention (shades of the EZLN in August, 1994).



3. Chiapas Governor's Election
Juan Sabines, the PRD candidate for governor of Chiapas, was declared governor-elect on Saturday by the state electoral commission. Sabines won by a margin of only 6,350 votes from over a million cast in the closely contested state election. The PRI will challenge the final ruling. Sabines won in most of the large urban areas while PRI candidate Jose Aguilar held the advantage in indigenous communities and areas that were affected by Hurricane Stan. In an election plagued with irregularities in which less than one-half of registered voters actually cast ballots, the PRI is expected to contest the election results. A major complaint from all the political parties, except the PRD, is that state employees and other state resources (money and welfare programs) were used to promote Sabines.


4. Violence again in El Carrizal, Chiapas -
The Good Government Junta of Caracol IV (Morelia) denounced violence in El Carrizal community on August 28. According to the denouncement, members of the OCEZ attacked several houses, stoning their Zapatista residents and stealing sacks of corn and beans. A small grocery store and
pharmacy were located inside one of the houses and the merchandise and money were also stolen. The OCEZ members had weapons which they fired into the air and the ground. Several women fled the community. Similar violence by OCEZ members occurred in July. The OCEZ leadership of that community wants to expel the Zapatista families in order to have the land all
to themselves.


5. Violent eviction near Palenque
A local judge issued an order to evict the Zapatista community of Choles de Tumbala, belonging to the Caracol of Roberto Barrios, near Palenque. On August 3, the judge went to the community with state and local police to force residents from their homes without giving them time to collect their belongings. All the houses were burned, as were the belongings and domestic animals. Former landowners were the ones who persuaded the judge to issue the eviction order and some of their
civilian workers accompanied the police. The Good Government Junta of Caracol V (Roberto Barrios) issued a public statement denouncing the eviction.