Weekly Report - 20 October 2011 (WR-11-42)

MEXICO | Calderón accuses the PRI. In a 15 October interview with the New York Times (NYT), President Felipe Calderón accused the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) of considering going back to making deals with drug-trafficking organisations (DTOs). This was the first time that Calderón has accused the PRI of wanting to return to the so-called “old practices of corruption” and under-the-table deals with DTOs. The PRI reacted immediately and labelled the President’s comments as pre-electoral attacks and as interference in the presidential succession. The presidency, on the back foot, sent an official message claiming that Calderón’s comments had been misinterpreted by the NYT (see sidebar). Calderón claimed that some within the PRI back his security policy (which involves deploying the military to support the police) but said that he feared for this policy if the PRI won in 2012.