Turtle poaching still rife on Mexico’s Pacific coast
Although turtle poaching is not considered as significant a problem as it was during the 1970s and 1980s, it remains a lucrative business.
Sold raw, turtle meat is worth from 80 to 150 pesos per kilo, but sold to tourists in an “estofado” or stew, it can go for over 1,000 pesos per kilo, according to an investigation by Spanish-language daily Milenio this week.
Barra de Naviadad, Melaque and Manzanillo are the primary markets for turtle meat, while turtle eggs and hides are most commonly smuggled to Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta where they can be illegally sold at great profit.
While common along Mexico’s Pacific coast, Olive Ridley sea turtles are classified as “vulnerable” to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature And Natural Resources.
Governor wants state to permit independent candidates
Under current law, only members of registered political parties are permitted to run for states offices. But Gonzalez insisted that his bill is justified by an amendment to the Mexican Constitution passed in August, “which establishes the possibility of registering independent candidates with guidelines issued by the local legislatures.”
The bill would enable all Jalisco citizens to become municipal mayors, governors or state congressmen.
“The purpose of this initiative is to bring higher levels of democracy to our state and above all to open opportunities for citizen participation. With reforms and initiatives like these, Jalisco is without doubt improved and moving forward,” Gonzalez added.
Mexico destroys ballot papers
The Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) began destroying the ballots from Mexico’s July 1 state and national elections on Monday. The process will be complete by November 26.
The 16.4 million Jalisco ballots were set to be destroyed between Tuesday and next Friday. Many of Jalisco’s ballots are being recylced at a plant in El Salto, with IFE receiving financial reimbursement for turning in around 75 tons of paper in this state alone.
IFE’s general council voted unanimously to destroy the ballots in October, citing the high cost of storing and guarding the papers, and Mexico’s Federal Electoral Tribunal (TEPJF) approved the measure last Friday.
Update (Nov. 15):
Ballots from the controversial 2006 election were also set to be destroyed, but Mexico’s left appealed the decision, dismayed that any evidence of wrongdoing would be lost forever. The Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) called for an examination of the ballots, citing the importance of “transparency and access to public information.”
On Wednesday, IFE announced it was abandoning plans to destroy the 2006 ballots, after a United Nations human rights commission also asked the government to hold off.
Although storing the ballots has cost Mexico 8.7 million dollars over the last six years, IFE President Leonardo Valdes vowed they would not be destroyed until all concerns have been resolved.
President Felipe Calderon defeated Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in 2006 by just 243,934 votes, amid widespread allegations of electoral fraud. Similar accusations were made following the victory of Enrique Peña Nieto this year, but he won by a much wider margin of 3.2 million votes.
The Tequila Files 