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Flu Is Injecting Itself Into Mexican Politics
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MEXICO CITY The slumping economy and the bloody drug war had been Mexican voters' top worries ahead of midterm elections in July. Then the mysterious A(H1N1) virus gave Mexicans the scare of their lives and made those who did not end up in a hospital bed or a grave feel fortunate. Or did it skillfully manage the crisis and keep deaths down?
"When there's a big economic crisis, until it gets very bad, it's hard to find evidence that people in power are hurt," said Daniel Lund, a pollster and the president of the MUND Group, who is conducting focus groups on the flu's effects. "In a natural disaster, the ruling party is hurt with a slow or corrupt response. When it comes to the flu, we've never really seen anything like this."
The campaign had shown early signs of dirtiness, with rival parties accusing one another of drug cartel connections. But as far as sanitation goes, this may prove to be the cleanest campaign in history. The Ministry of Health has urged the candidates vying for a variety of local, state and federal positions on July 5 to take precautions, including using antibacterial hand gel liberally, to avoid spreading the influenza virus.
Large political rallies anything more than 40 people are discouraged, and closed-door strategy sessions should allow a generous 7.2 feet between every attendee. Candidates are urged not to wear neckties because they are viewed as potential carriers of viruses. Baby kissing or any kissing is frowned on, as are handshakes.
The outbreak has already had one political effect. Mexico City's mayor, Marcelo Ebrard, who is a potential presidential contender in 2012, made his first trip to Los Pinos, the presidential residence, in the three years since Mr. Calder During much of the flu crisis, Mr. Ebrard held his own news conferences and issued his own decrees, including the closing of Mexico City restaurants.
At a presidential flu summit meeting on Monday, however, there was Mr. Ebrard (albeit wearing a surgical mask) at the same table with the president.
After he was criticized for lying low as the virus multiplied, Mr. Calder At the event with Mr. Ebrard and governors from throughout the country, the president tried to pre-empt criticism that his government had overreacted to the flu.
"Without a doubt, the timely and decided reaction of everybody, of all the authorities in the country, has saved not only thousands of lives in Mexico, but it has allowed the rest of the world to take the right measures and prepare themselves better, with a long lead time, with more information to face this epidemic," Mr. Calder Tabasco, where his Web site says he drew 2,000 people. "The usurper government has abandoned the people, and for that simple reason these epidemics affect the Mexican people," he said.
Early polling indicates support for the government's actions, although the skepticism that many Mexicans have for any politician's utterances is clearly evident, too, said Jos Antonio Crespo, an analyst at CIDE, a Mexico City research institute.
Especially now that scientists are saying that the flu may not prove as fierce as originally thought, some Mexicans are questioning whether sequestering themselves with masks for a week was necessary.
"The truth is the government exaggerated," Georgina Moreno Montemayor, 27, an accountant, said Monday as the government announced the gradual reopening of schools and the return to something more resembling normal life. Chupacabras, a mythical monster that sucks goats' blood.
Because of its close links with the United States, Mexico was already one of the hardest hit countries by the global economic recession, with central bankers estimating a contraction of 3.8 to 4.8 percent this year. The flu outbreak will only worsen things, shaving an additional 0.3 to 0.5 percent off the gross domestic product, officials say.
At least for now, influenza has managed to overshadow the drug war, which continues to cause heavy casualties. If nothing else, though, the government's aggressive response to the flu may dispel the notion that drug gangs have Mexico tottering on the edge of collapse. And while candidates continue to espouse proposals to revive the economy and increase security, they are clearly trying to use the health crisis to their advantage, some shamelessly so.
Hand gels and face masks have become the new free items handed out by office seekers, trumping T-shirts and baseball hats. And in some cases, candidates have even stamped the masks with their names and party logos, turning voters' faces into mobile campaign billboards.
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