Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07GUADALAJARA119
2007-03-09 16:22:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Consulate Guadalajara
Cable title:  

EMILIO TAKES CHARGE: JALISCO GETS THIRD SUCCESSIVE PAN

Tags:  PGOV PREL PINR OEXC MX 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO1321
RR RUEHCD RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHGD #0119/01 0681622
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 091622Z MAR 07
FM AMCONSUL GUADALAJARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0073
INFO RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 1321
RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RUEHGD/AMCONSUL GUADALAJARA 4093
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GUADALAJARA 000119 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR WHA/MEX AND ECA/PE/V/R/W

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR OEXC MX
SUBJECT: EMILIO TAKES CHARGE: JALISCO GETS THIRD SUCCESSIVE PAN
GOVERNOR

REF: GUADALAJARA 0024

GUADALAJAR 00000119 001.2 OF 002


UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GUADALAJARA 000119

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR WHA/MEX AND ECA/PE/V/R/W

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR OEXC MX
SUBJECT: EMILIO TAKES CHARGE: JALISCO GETS THIRD SUCCESSIVE PAN
GOVERNOR

REF: GUADALAJARA 0024

GUADALAJAR 00000119 001.2 OF 002



1. Summary: Former Guadalajara Mayor Emilio Gonzalez Marquez
assumed the Governorship of Jalisco March 1, calling upon his
constituents to "think big" and work together to make the state
a leader in business, education, social services, and
environmental protection. He also promised to put greater
emphasis on human rights and transparency in government. His
warm and open manner has earned him greater public support than
his predecessor, Francisco Ramirez Acuna (now Interior Minister)
enjoyed. "Emilio" (as he is almost universally called) and
three members of his cabinet have participated in US Voluntary
Visitor programs, and the Consulate enjoys an excellent working
relationship with him and his team. End Summary.

The Long Wait Is Over:
--------------

2. Emilio Gonzalez's March 1 inauguration was the culmination
of an extraordinarily long transition period from his narrow
July 2, 2006 election victory. This awkward eight month gap, a
quirk of Jalisco's electoral calendar, was made somewhat easier
when outgoing Governor Francisco Ramirez Acuna and his
predecessor, Alberto Cardenas, both received federal Cabinet
posts in late November. The absence of these two prominent
power-brokers from the daily scene afforded Gonzalez Marquez
more breathing space to begin establishing his own authority.
Nevertheless, both former governors are keeping their hands in
Jalisco politics, and Emilio was careful to include
representatives of each in his new cabinet.


3. Undoubtedly the most anxious moments of the transition were
the last 24 hours, when the patio of the Legislative Palace was
filled with tents of opposition party legislators protesting the
allocation of committee assignments by the PAN Congressional
leadership. Thirty minutes prior to the start of the
inauguration ceremony, the tents were removed in a gesture of
goodwill toward the incoming governor, and the event proceeded
smoothly.

Thinking Big
--------------

4. In his inaugural speech, Gonzalez Marquez called on all
sectors of society to form a "Grand Alliance for Jalisco" and to

"think big" to make the state a leader in generating more and
better jobs, strengthening public security, and improving the
overall quality of life. As part of this effort, he promised to
work to eliminate hunger, illiteracy, and domestic violence, and
fortify the state's environmental protection efforts. The new
Governor also pledged to make Jalisco's government the most
transparent in Mexico, and to avoid the abuse of power - two
subjects on which his predecessor received much criticism
(reftel). In a gesture of conciliation, he also paid tribute to
opposition political leaders, including his PRI opponent in the
gubernatorial race, Arturo Zamora. Public and media reaction to
his remarks was highly favorable.


5. Some other "big thoughts" were also circulating in the
press at the same time, namely speculation over Emilio's
presidential prospects in 2012. He would be in his last year as
governor then, and several mega-projects including the Pan
American Games and the opening of Guadalajara's branch of the
Guggenheim Museum are scheduled for 2011. The prestige of these
events, combined with a successful gubernatorial term, could
make Gonzalez Marquez an attractive candidate for the PAN's
presidential nomination. This possibility was probably not lost
on several members of the august audience present for Emilio's
inauguration; both Francisco Ramirez Acuna and Alberto Cardenas
are said to have presidential aspirations, and the ambitious PAN
governor of Aguascalientes, Luis Reynoso Femat, may also be
eyeing higher office.

A Kinder, Gentler Governor
--------------

6. Emilio's warm and open public demeanor contrasts markedly
with the somewhat imperious and aloof bearing of his
predecessor, and is an important political asset. Immediately
after the ceremony, he stopped to chat briefly with members of
the small group of protesters that had gathered outside. Later
that day, he shed his coat and tie and climbed into an excavator
digging trenches for a drainage project in a poor area of the
city to emphasize his commitment to infrastructure development.
His flair for showmanship was established early in his political
career; on his first day as Guadalajara mayor, for example, he
donned a police uniform and rode in a patrol car to underline
his concern for public security. These events not only produce
great photo ops, they also forge a personal bond with the
citizenry and help cement his popularity.


Comment: A Good Start:

GUADALAJAR 00000119 002.2 OF 002


--------------

7. The Consulate has an excellent working relationship with
Emilio and members of his cabinet. The new Governor, along with
his Secretaries of Culture, Environment, and Finance have
participated in US Voluntary Visitor programs and are favorably
disposed toward the United States. His Secretary of Public
Security, Luis Carlos Najera, has a long-standing history of
close collaboration with DEA and other US law enforcement
agencies. Emilio himself pledged complete cooperation on
counternarcotics efforts when he met DEA Administrator Karen
Tandy in February. He has also signaled a willingness to pursue
vigorously issues such as oral trials, greater transparency in
government, and administrative reform that languished under his
predecessor. Jalisco's innate conservatism, rough politics, and
creaky bureaucracy will be formidable obstacles, but we will
take him at his word and press forward on all of these fronts.
RAMOTOWSKI