Photo @ SIPAZ

On October 14th, Maria de Jesus Patricio Martinez, the candidate for the presidency of Mexico and spokesperson for the Indigenous Council of Government (CIG in its Spanish acronym) began a tour of the five Zapatista caracoles. During the tour, the spokesperson was accompanied by CIG councilors and a delegation from the National Indigenous Congress (CNI in its Spanish acronym).

The tour was in the context of gathering the support of citizens, the collection of 866,500 signatures, to be accepted as an independent candidate.

During the tour, in the different caracoles the spokesperson Marichuy was received by thousands of Zapatistas, organizations and civil society who waited for hours to see and listen to her and the councilors. After several talks by different speakers, each caracol held for a cultural event.

During and after the Marichuy tour and the civil association that promotes the candidacy denounced “a presumed sabotage to prevent it from reaching the number of signatures necessary and thus avoid its registration.”

According to the complaint of the CNI, “On October 18th, the INE website https://apoyociudadano.INE.mx was blocked for least five hours, during which time it was impossible to carry out any type of auxiliary registration operation or review the progress of signatures During the sessions and tours, access to telephones and the internet was blocked in the municipalities of Altamirano and Ocosingo, places where these services usually work well.”

For more information in Spanish:

PRONUNCIAMIENTO DE LA ASOCIACIÓN CIVIL “LLEGÓ LA HORA DEL FLORECIMIENTO DE LOS PUEBLOS” SOBRE SABOTAJES Y OBSTACULIZACIÓN EN LA OBTENCIÓN DEL APOYO CIUDADANO PARA MARIA DE JESÚS PATRICIO MARTÍNEZ. (Congreso Nacional Indígena, 23 de octubre de 2017)

Denuncian presunto sabotaje para impedir el registro de Marichuy como candidata independiente (Proceso, 24 de octubre de 2017)

México: Denuncian ataques para impedir candidatura de Marichuy (teleSUR tv, 25 octubre de 2017)

El sabotaje a “Marichuy” evidencia el poderoso interés para impedir que contienda en 2018: asociación (Sin Embargo, 25 de octubre de 2017)

For more information form SIPAZ:

Nacional: Marychuy se registra como candidata independiente a la Presidencia de la República (18 de octubre de 2017)

Nacional / Chiapas: El CNI conforma su Concejo Indígena de Gobierno y elige a su vocera. (SIPAZ, 31 de mayo de 2017)