Anti-Election Protests Show Discontent with Mexico’s Political Class

With only two days to go before Mexico’s regional elections, the atmosphere is tense in many parts of the country. The head of the National Human Rights Commission has told President Enrique Peña Nieto that official corruption, torture and forced disappearances threaten the country’s stability. In Oaxaca, demonstrators burned electoral propaganda to express their rejection of the nation’s political class. Other actions included the occupation of a Pemex refinery and blockades of gas stations, which have brought the distribution of oil and gas in the region to a standstill. The head of the National Electoral Institute said in a public statement that this is the first time protesters are threatening to disrupt or stop the elections due to social inconformity. Some observers say that the corporate media may be manipulating the way the protests are presented to the general public. In Oaxaca, they say, only a handful of families control newspapers and radio stations. The Oaxaca teachers’ union, however, feels confident of being able to counter mainstream media distortions with its own independent radio. Clayton Conn reports from Mexico for teleSUR.