-by La Huerita
Yesterday's midterm elections in Mexico are over and though final results have not been formally announced, it looks like the former ruling party has made a comeback country wide. With nearly all the vote counted this morning, the old Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) was winning about 37 percent of votes for Congress, to about 28 percent for President Felipe Calderon's conservative National Action Party, the PAN. The left-wing Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) suffered a bad day and trailed in third place with 12 percent of the vote, after nearly winning the Presidency just two years ago.
The PRI also held leads in at least four of six governorship races, including the border state of Nuevo Leon. But not in Sonora, where it appears that the PAN candidate, Guillermo Padrés Elías, has won by somewhere between 26,000 and 33,000 votes.
The official results will be issued by the State Board of Elections on Wednesday, once the count has been validated.
And who is the new mayor/alcalde of Puerto Penasco? Having run an original and especially striking campaign, Alex Zepeda Munro won a relatively easy victory over Sergio Cuéllar Yescas.
His big challenge, besides dealing with the current economic crisis, is to guide Puerto Peñasco through its shift towards modernity and the future.
Congratulations to Padrés Elías and Zepeda Munro!
On another subject, the 4th of July weekend did not draw anywhere near the number of visitors to Rocky Point as in prior years. Sad to say, the town was relatively empty and many restaurants and bars closed up for the weekend-- partly due, no doubt, to Sunday's elections. No liquor was allowed to be served, as is usual during election times in Mexico for all communities that don't have a special dispensation as tourist havens.
Next really big US holiday: Labor Day, Monday, September 7. We'll hope for better visitor numbers (and spending) then.
Short and sweet, but that's all the Buzz on the Beach for today.
Peace out...
About Beach Buzz: Not necessarily the news, this is a place for information, opinion, speculation, gossip, tips and other good stuff about Rocky Point, and Mexico in general. If you have something you'd like to share, I'd like to hear from you!
Email me: La Huerita
