Mass March in Favor of Aguirre on Sunday
(Acapulco, JG 8 November) On Sunday, a large crowd of Acapulqueños marched along Avenida Cuauhtémoc in support of the “Guerrero Unites Us” coalition, which seeks the election of ex-PRI legislator Ángel Aguirre. Security and traffic control was provided by state police and the army. Municipal police were notably absent. The public was left to speculate whether the absence of city policemen reflected the politics of City Hall, which unabashedly supports the opposing candidate, former mayor Miguel Añorve Baños. Equally, it could have reflected the labor actions of the city’s traffic police, who are pressing for arms, radios and bullet-proof vests in the face of recent drug violence that has cost the lives of several of their brethren in uniform.
The crowd was estimated at around 50,000 by Aguirre supporters. It made its way slowly down Cuauhtémoc to the Zócalo, where the “Aguirrista” campaign was officially inaugurated with speeches by nationally known and respected figures, including the celebrated governor of the Federal District, Marcelo Ebrar Casaubon and the governor-elect of Oaxaca, Gabino Cué Monteagudo. Other recognizable politicians, notably Luis Walton Aburto of “Convergencia” and the national leaders of the PRD, were in attendance. PRD legislators and some cross-overs from the PRI also took part in the festivities launching Aguirre’s campaign for governor.
The march was punctuated by more than speeches. At one point, mariachis joined the festivities, singing El Rey (“The King”). They were joined in the chorus by the thousands of supporters of Ángel Aguirre.
In a curious twist, the current governor of Guerrero, Zeferino Torreblanca Galindo, did not attend, even though Aguirre carries the banner of the governor’s political party, the PRD. For months it has been rumored that Zeferino prefers the candidacy of his friend and former colleague, Manuel Añorve Baños of the PRI; the governor, however, has been careful to maintain, at least in public, a neutral posture in the election, a situation that has been awkward at times for all parties involved.
