Mexico: A New Type of Election Fraud

New Type of Mexican Election Fraud

posted August 6, 2006

Mexico, Aug 2 (Prensa Latina) Independent trade union leaders have denounced an alleged fraud in the July 2 elections orchestrated by the president of the National Union of Education Workers (SNTE), Elba Esther Gordillo.

The leaders of the National Coordinate of Education Workers (CNTE) assert that the government of President Vicente Fox diverted funds from social programs to be handled by Gordillo for election ends.

Artemio Ortiz told a news conference in the western state of Michoacan that the funds amount to more than 227 million dollars, which were initially allocated to educational programs.

Ortiz added that the money was used to finance the New Alliance Party of grassroots educators, to support the official presidential candidate, Felipe Calderon, and to set up a network of representatives at the polling stations.

We are talking about plundering SNTE funds, about a great theft of resources that were used to endorse an election fraud, he added.

Gordillo is the main figure behind the fraud, exerting her influence on the governors in northern Mexico and using SNTE sections as operators to promote the ultra-right candidate, he noted.

The union leader said that the files will be submitted to the special election crimes prosecutor in the Attorney General´s Office and to the Election Court of the Judicial Power of the Federation.