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Papirex

Jul 4, 2009, 10:56 PM

Post #1 of 12 (2752 views)

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Election day

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Well tonight I had a new experience here in Cuernavaca. Sunday is the national election day here (national elections are always held on a Sunday in México) and I was watching the CNN news in English on the TV. I was just thinking about going to bed when at four minutes after midnight the TV screen went blank. A message popped up saying that this channel will be permanently blocked until 8 PM today (Sunday). They actually blocked at least three channels that I know of. They have blocked the CNN news in English, the CNN news in Spanish, and I think it is the BBC news from England. There may be more channels blocked today, but I'm not going to go channel surfing to try to find them all.

Wow! Talk about managing an election. They don't want any voters to get any outside ideas, even if they are in a different language. Americans should quit complaining about our elections. At least we can listen to anyone we want to before we vote.

Alcoholic beverages may not be legally sold from Friday through Sunday on a national election weekend so most Americans had to do without any drinks on this Independence Day weekend. It is usually no problem buying booze on an election weekend, if you know the guy you are buying it from though. This week the mayor of México City even said it would not be a "dry" election in the city this week.

Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

mcm

Jul 5, 2009, 5:56 AM

Post #2 of 12 (2725 views)

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Re: [Papirex] Election day

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Yeah, election regulations are certainly different (from the US at least) here. Since July 2, even newspapers have not been publishing any information on the candidates (in news stories, for example), just general information on the election. But I'm amazed to hear that the ban goes so far as to black out international TV channels!

One local weekly rag, which has a very anti-state government political slant, did apparently try to distribute some papers with political info. Six young vendors were arrested by the municipal police (Tizimin, Yucatan), then taken to the state capital (Merida, some 100 km away), and eventually released the next day after the election board determined there was no infraction. The opposition senators are championing the vendors cause, whereas the party in power has lodged a new complaint with the election authorities.

Even the candidates web sites (which one must CHOOSE to go to) must be closed down the three days before the election.
Accusations of election fraud, or coercion, seem to be the pastime of choice these days.

I might add that (at least in the Yucatan diputado race), there is so little of substance (proposals, specifics regarding controversial issues) presented by (most of) the candidates or parties that it's hard to see how it would influence any thinking voter....(operative word, "thinking").

johanson

Jul 5, 2009, 8:45 AM

Post #3 of 12 (2683 views)

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Re: [Papirex] Election day

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I always greatly enjoy your detailed posts Rex. Thanks for the great posts. Strangely when I turned on TeleCable lakeside, the digital programming comes from Guadalajara, the BBC, CNN, and HLN were all on the air at 10:40 AM Sunday. Now none of the programs were talking about the Mexican elections.

I wonder if only some areas of Mexico are having programs blocked or if they are selectively blocking by program title.

PS I just tried to go to a Jalisco State web page to check the Lake Chapala lake level

http://www.ceajalisco.gob.mx/chapala.html#dia1

and it was down, perhaps for the same reason, you know, election day.

(This post was edited by johanson on Jul 5, 2009, 11:12 AM)

richmx2

Jul 5, 2009, 9:20 AM

Post #4 of 12 (2672 views)

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Re: [Papirex] Election day

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This has happened before. The foreign broadcasters all know that they can't report on the elections... other than to say they are occuring, and this and that are the ballot issues... but they still "assume" they can do things the way they do them in the U.S.

During the 2006 Presidential election, FOX news tried to make a stink about being "censored" and claiming it was some insidious Mexican plot... ignoring the fact that the BBC and SKY were also shut down for a short period.

By the way, Mexican election procedures are considered the world standard. Mexican election officials were called on to set up the elections in South Africa after the end of apartheid, in East Timor when that nation achieved independence and Iraq (where Mexico City ballot boxes were used in Baghdad). There are still problems (witness the 2006 Presidential election, and the low turnout and "voto nulo" campaign this time) so expect some changes in procedure and process from the next legislature.

http://mexfiles.net
http://voiceofmexico.com
http://editorialmazatlan.com

Papirex

Jul 5, 2009, 9:21 AM

Post #5 of 12 (2672 views)

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Re: [johanson] Election day

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Thanks for the compliment Pete.

The 3 news channels are all still blocked here at 11:00 AM this morning. The screen is displaying this message:

“En cumplimiento a las disposiciones electorales Mexicanas, este canal permanecera bloqueado hasta las 8 de la noche del dia de hoy.”

“Agradecemos su comprensión.”

These programs are coming to us here via Telecable, probably from México City. Like most things here it is probably just one guys' bright idea to block the news channels in this area. There was no news coverage concerning México last night, but maybe someone doesn't want the public to think too much about the problems in Honduras right now. Who knows? Many things are seldom logical down here.

Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

esperanza

Jul 5, 2009, 9:52 AM

Post #6 of 12 (2662 views)

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Re: [Papirex] Election day

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In Ajijic, where Johanson lives, and in Morelia, where I live, cable television comes to us via Megacable. No stations are blocked in Ajijic or Morelia. In Morelia, those include CNN in English, CNN in Spanish, Televisa, TVAzteca, and SMRT, which is the regional Michoacán news provider.

Where Papirex lives, Telecable is the cable provider. His news stations are blocked.

I wonder if the provider is what makes the difference.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

Papirex

Jul 5, 2009, 10:38 AM

Post #7 of 12 (2647 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Election day

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The actual name of the company that provides cable TV service here in Cuernavaca is Cablemas. Most people here do call it Telecable though. The blocking of TV news channels is probably done region by region, although it might be left to the individual cable TV providers. I doubt that we will ever get a definitive answer.

I have no idea if satellite TV providers like Sky TV are blocking any channels in this area. TV is not a big part of my life, so I get enough English language programming With the cable TV package I have subscribed for, in addition to reasonably reliable high speed Internet service. Cheap too.

Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

tashby

Jul 5, 2009, 12:16 PM

Post #8 of 12 (2615 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Election day

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I think it's still Telecable in Ajijic, unless Megacable just hasn't bothered to change any of the signs, stationary, on-air logos, etc. (I know I see Megacable signage in Guadalajara....) We're getting all our normal news channels as far as I can tell.

(This post was edited by tashby on Jul 5, 2009, 12:17 PM)

esperanza

Jul 5, 2009, 2:24 PM

Post #9 of 12 (2581 views)

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Re: [tashby] Election day

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Travis, it's Megacable now in Ajijic. But you're right, they haven't changed any of the logos or ads--they haven't even changed the crawl that tells you what's on TV. It's the same here in Morelia; Telecable was bought out by Megacable about a year ago, but all the advertising etc remains the same.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

johanson

Jul 5, 2009, 3:44 PM

Post #10 of 12 (2560 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Election day

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Really? I had no idea. I know that the Internet Service Providers, like Rod Collins of www.laguna.com.mx have had a better opinion of Megacable than Telecable. Maybe there is hope for us lakeside, you know better service, and fewer digital dropouts. I have lagunanet as my primary provider, but have been experimenting with their (TeleCable's) digital internet side called Cybercable, and its often quite fast when it works but it's been down quite a bit where I live lately.

Oops excuse me, we are talking about election day and I changed subjects.

Well I just tried to go to the Jalisco Gov Lake Chapala lake level site http://www.ceajalisco.gob.mx/chapala.html#dia1 and it's still down. Maybe the lake level may have an impact on either PAN or PRI

One of the reasons I love Mexico so much is because after 12 years I still can't understand it. :)

Georgia

Jul 12, 2009, 4:11 PM

Post #11 of 12 (2424 views)

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Re: [Papirex] Election day - news blackout

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I've been thinking about this political news blackout thing, and it has occurred to me that it might not be a bad idea. Candidates can't pull some 11th hour accusation - substantiated or not - out of their political bag of tricks. Of course this wouldn't stop them from doing it on the day before the news blackout, I understand that. But it is a concept worth giving a bit of thought.

RickS

Jul 12, 2009, 7:08 PM

Post #12 of 12 (2397 views)

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Re: [Georgia] Election day - news blackout

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Here in the US, I would be in favor of a 365 day blackout prior to.....

Oooops, not about Mexico.