DATE=7/12/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=CHIAPAS CANDIDATE (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-264369
BYLINE=GREG FLAKUS
DATELINE=MEXICO CITY
CONTENT=
Intro: Even as Mexico's ruling party continues a
bitter internal debate following its first ever loss
in a presidential election on July second, the
Institutional Revolutionary Party, known as the PRI,
faces a new electoral challenge-in the southern state
of Chiapas. As VOA's Greg Flakus reports from Mexico
City, the gubernatorial candidate of a broad
opposition coalition says his victory could play a key
role in bringing peace to the troubled state.
TEXT: The election of Vicente Fox of the National
Action Party, or PAN on July second has provided a
boost to the candidacy of Pablo Salazar Mendiguia
(sah lah ZAHR mehn dee GHEE ah) who is running for
governor of Chiapas under the banners of seven
parties.
/// Salazar cut one (Spanish) Establish, then
fade under. ///
He says, in order for the July second presidential
election to really advance democracy in Mexico, there
have to be drastic changes in Chiapas. He says his
state suffers from all the major ills that have
resulted from bad government-poverty, malnutrition and
illiteracy.
Since January of 1994,a large part of the highland
forests of the state have been occupied by a leftist
guerrilla movement called the Zapatista Army for
National Liberation. Although there has been no
fighting there in recent years,indigenous communities
sympathetic to the Zapatistas complain of military
repression and attacks by rightwing groups associated
with the PRI.
President-elect Fox says he would like to pull the
army out of Chiapas and settle the conflict through
direct negotiations. Pablo Salazar says he believes
such a solution can be found and that, if he wins the
August 20th election, he can work with a President Fox
to find a solution. If the PRI wins, however, Mr.
Salazar says the conflict is likely to continue.
Spokesmen for the PRI in Chiapas have denied any
intent to prolong the conflict there. They say their
party has worked hard to bring development projects to
the state in order to improve the lot of the poor
indigenous communities.
PRI candidate Sami David is slightly behind Mr.
Salazar in the polls, but the ruling party is making
an all-out effort to hang on to Chiapas, a state that
has always voted overwhelmingly for the PRI in the
past.
/// REST OPT ///
Although he is a member of the leftist Party of the
Democratic Revolution, or P-R-D, Pablo Salazar says
that, as a coalition candidate, he has tried to stay
clear of disputes between his party and the PAN.
National leaders of the P-R-D have rejected calls from
Vicente Fox to work together with his future
administration for the good of Mexico. But Mr.
Salazar says Chiapas is an exception.
/// Salazar cut two (Spanish) Establish, then fade
under. ///
He says the P-R-D and the PAN, as well as the other
five parties in the coalition, recognize the special
nature of the problem in Chiapas and coincide in their
policies favoring peace. In that sense, he says,
the coalition there may not serve as an effective
model for cooperation between the parties on a
national level because of deep divisions over other
issues. (Signed)
NEB/PT
12-Jul-2000 18:17 PM EDT (12-Jul-2000 2217 UTC)
NNNNDATE=7/12/2000
Source: Voice of America
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