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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 14 OctOber 2020
Party chaos threatens Mexican president's administration

By MARIA VERZA tired pharmaceutical in-
Associated Press dustry executive Aurora Pe-
MEXICO CITY (AP) — An- droche, 64, who joined the
drés Manuel López Obra- party at its start. "Morena
dor created his own party is severely broken, but we
to win Mexico's presidency. are going to close ranks
Now its internal weakness around whoever wins.
and divisions threaten to The only good news for
undermine his administra- Morena is that the two
tion. main opposition parties —
López Obrador's National the Institutional Revolution-
Regeneration Movement ary Party, or PRI, and the
— known to all in Mexico as conservative National Ac-
Morena — has been trying tion Party, are arguably in
unsuccessfully for a year to worse shape.
pick a party president, and The PRI ruled Mexico unin-
it's not going well. terrupted from from 1929
In reponse to a lawsuit over to 2000, and still has the
the delays, judges ordered most governorships, 11. But
a leader chosen by a poll its brief return to the presi-
run by federal electoral au- dency in 2012-2018 was so
thorities. But that wound up marked by debilitating cor-
in a technical tie. Electoral Supporters of Porfirio Munoz Ledo hold up posters of him outside Morena party headquarters, amid ruption scandals that the
officials say they'll try again. elections to select the party's leader in Mexico City, Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. Associated Press PRI now seems cowed and
The result is a bitter dispute rudderless. López Obrador
between an 87-year-old barred from reelection. ers, some jumping on the But with López Obrador fo- has proved himself a mas-
political warhorse who pre- Morena exists only because bandwagon of a man who cused on governing, the ter at the kind of politics
viously led two other par- López Obrador was unable was clearly favored to win party has floundered. — charismatic leadership,
ties and his less prominent to fully control the leftist the presidency in 2018 and "Morena is everything, and ardent nationalism and
48-year-old rival. party that sponsored his first some who hoped to wipe nothing at the same time," governmental handout
Immediately at stake is the two, unsuccessful runs for away controversial pasts by said Hugo Concha, a po- programs — the PRI once
president's now perilously the presidency, Democrat- embracing a man famed litical science professor at specialized in.
thin majority in Congress, ic Revolution. for personal honesty. the National Autonomous National Action, a con-
with midterm elections set When legal maneuvers left With the other major par- University of Mexico. "One servative party that offers
for next year and the party rivals in charge of the party ties discredited by their re- day you hear crazy pro- the clearest alternative to
lacking formal organiza- known as the PRD, López cent turns in power and a posals, and the next day López Obrador, is still dis-
tion in most of Mexico's 32 Obrador — by far its most seemingly endless string of they change their opin- trusted by many due to two
states. It holds only seven popular figure — led a mass corruption scandals, López ion," Concha said. "It is very lackluster terms in the presi-
governorships. exodus and turned Morena Obrador carried Morena hard to send a signal to the dency from 2000 to 2012.
Beyond that is the ques- into a party in 2014. to a 30% winning margin, people, 'Here are different Some party factions have
tion of whether Morena, in He wove together his fellow vowing to launch a "trans- ideas."The conflict mad- been drawn into coun-
its present form, will outlast PRD dissidents with break- formation" toward cleaner, dens some party members. terproductive demonstra-
the presidency of its cre- away members from other more honest politics, closer "We are caught up in an tions of rage against the
ator, who is constitutionally parties — some true believ- to the people. absurd dispute," said re- president.q

Palestinian premier: 'God help us' if

Trump wins re-election

RAMALLAH, West Bank ments were earlier posted lars of American aid to the
(AP) — The Palestinian on his Facebook page. The Palestinians, shut the Pales-
prime minister said Tues- Palestinians have tradition- tinian diplomatic offices in
day it will be disastrous for ally refrained from taking Washington and issued a
his people and the world an explicit public position Mideast plan this year that
at large if President Donald in American presidential largely favored Israel. The
Trump wins re-election next elections. Shtayyeh's com- Palestinians have rejected
month. Prime Minister Mo- ments reflected the sense the plan out of hand.
hammad Shtayyeh said the of desperation on the Pal- The Trump administration
last four years of the Trump estinian side after a series also has persuaded two
administration have greatly of U.S. moves that have left Arab countries, the United
harmed the Palestinians. them weakened and iso- Arab Emirates and Bahrain, In this Wednesday, Jun. 24, 2020 file photo, Palestinian Prime
"If we are going to live an- lated. to establish full diplomatic Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh speaks during the leadership
meeting at the village of Fasayil in Jordan Valley.
other four years with Presi- The Palestinians severed relations with Israel and Associated Press
dent Trump, God help us, ties with Trump after he promised that other Arab
God help you and God recognized contested Je- nations will follow suit. These verage for the Palestinians. change in the United States
help the whole world," rusalem as Israel's capital deals have undercut the Shtayyeh expressed hope I think this will reflect itself
Shtayyeh said Tuesday, in late 2017 and subse- traditional Arab consensus that a victory by the Demo- directly on the Palestinian-
repeating comments he quently moved the Ameri- that recognition of Israel cratic presidential nominee Israeli relationship," he said.
made a day earlier in a re- can Embassy to the holy only come in return for an Joe Biden would raise pros- "And it will reflect itself also
mote meeting with Europe- city. Trump has also cut off Israeli-Palestinian peace pects for a peace deal. on the bilateral Palestinian-
an lawmakers. The com- hundreds of millions of dol- deal — a rare source of le- "If things are going to American relationship."q