Security Protection for Gubernatorial Candidates
(Chilpancingo, JG 10 November) Governor Zeferino Torreblanca Galindo has announced that the PAN candidate for governor, Marcos Efrén Parra Gómez, has accepted his offer of security protection during the gubernatorial campaign, to the extent of an armor-clad vehicle and body guards. The PRD coalition candidate, Ángel Aguirre, has also accepted security support from the state, in the form of security escorts. No mention was made of any request by the PRI candidate, Manuel Añorve Baños.
In a press conference, Governor Torreblanca commented on how the campaigns were going. He said that he felt that they “are developing as usual with the candidates making their best efforts.” He added, “What most interests me personally is that there be a lot of spirit and participation on the part of the larger society, and so far, that has not happened.”
When asked what measures would be taken to fulfill President Calderón’s request that the accounting for campaign funds ensure that no “narco-money” enter the picture, the governor replied that “You need to analyze who the candidate is, that is the easiest thing, where he comes from, and how he lives his life. When I was a candidate, I did that. [They should] make public statements of where their money comes from and how they support themselves, so that there’s no shadow of a doubt about it.” In addition, he thought it appropriate that the political parties reveal what mechanisms they are using to protect them from any sort of infiltration by criminal organizations.
The governor’s previous request to candidates that they not use the subject of public safety as a campaign gimmick also came up in the press briefing. The governor clarified that so far he is unaware of any candidate who has made the matter an election issue, and that he was “merely suggesting that on that subject, we should all of us come together in agreement. The issue of public safety should not be used divisively. It is not the property of one party or other. We are all of us experiencing the problem.”
