On Friday, 21 October, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) announced plans to field a candidate in Mexico’s 2018 presidential election. The move immediately took many political commentators across Mexico by surprise, though the decision itself was the result of a week of negotiations between the EZLN and representatives at the 2016 National Indigenous Congress (CNI) in San Cristobal, Chiapas.
Few details of the possible candidate have been released, though the EZLN and CNI have confirmed the individual will be indigenous, and a woman. However, in a joint statement, the two organizations argued that their presidential bid won’t be an ordinary campaign. Instead, they said they will use the office of president to dismantle the Mexican government from the inside out.
Quote:
The EZLN itself has long opposed political parties, though it was their most well known spokesperson, Subcomandante Insurgente Galeano, who emerged as one of the strongest advocates for joining the presidential race. Galeano argued against allowing a male candidate, stating there were already enough men in politics who had failed to represent the interests of the people.
Quote:
Mexico’s outgoing President, Enrique Pena Nieto currently has an approval rating around 23 per cent – making him one of Latin America’s least popular leaders. Recent polls suggest his ruling centre right party, the PRI, is expected to lose the presidency to another major right wing party, the PAN. An EZLN/CNI candidate will also have to compete with the left wing Morena party.
Quote:
The EZLN and CNI say their next foray into federal politics has the potential to galvanise Mexico’s left. ‘This is the time for rebellious dignity, to build a new nation by and for all, to strengthen the power from the bottom and to the anti capitalist left,” the two organizations said. They added, ‘The words of all will materialise in an indigenous woman.’
