Ricardo Pascoe Pierce
Congratulations to the French people on their political intelligence. They created a broad citizen’s agreement between forces of the center and the left, which succeeded in stopping the populism that proposes to destroy their country’s constitutional institutionality.
The citizens’ organizations that made up the Marea Rosa (Pink Tide) movement met for the first time after the June 2 elections to share their assessment of the outcome of the process and seek answers to the big question: what to do in the face of the new national situation?
The discussion and debate were rich and diverse, offering various alternatives for analysis and routes to the future. They demonstrated the diversity of the Pink Tide movement itself. This diversity of appreciation and opinions expresses the hidden strength of the Pink Tide: its capacity to discern, among many criteria, the primary priorities and the respectable but secondary points of view.
Opinions on the electoral process varied in tone and emphasis, depending on each organization and its origins. It should be remembered that not only non-party citizens belong to the Pink Tide, but also many who are, or consider themselves, militants of the PAN, PRI, and PRD. That is to say, within an organization as horizontal as the Marea Rosa, there is room for these diverse expressions.
This composition meant that one point of the discussion, the proposal of whether or not to transform the Pink Tide into a new political party, did not advance beyond a point for further discussion because it implied an internal confrontation within the movement itself. For example, apart from party members, the assembly was attended by Santiago Taboada, who, apart from being the candidate of all the attendees, is a recognized PAN militant and is even proposed to occupy a leading position in that party.
But it must be recognized that the proposal to transform the Pink Tide into a new party comes from the anger of many of its members with the parties. Many criticized their “patrimonialist” actions in nominating as candidates only members of their internal groups and completely ignoring the organized citizenry. On the other hand, the parties were criticized for their supposedly dismissive behavior towards the presidential candidacy of the front, many times appearing to be opportunistic in seeking votes for themselves and not winning the Presidency. As proof of this, they pointed out that the parties’ deputies and senators obtained more votes than the presidential candidacy itself.
Some who participated in the discussion also expressed their conviction that the election was won by means of state-organized fraud. They also believed that Morena’s colonization of electoral bodies, such as the National Electoral Institute (INE), the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary (TEPJF), and state bodies, such as the Electoral Institute of Mexico City (IECM), was an essential part of the fraud.
Although the resolution of the assembly had as its central idea the decision to continue organizing citizens and resisting to face immediate situations, there was also a certain desolation and disenchantment with politics. Frustration was inevitable, especially in the face of the expectations that the front’s political leadership had created. Throughout this process, it was concluded that there is much to learn, starting with the need to fully understand the strength and determination of the enemy in front of us.
Important agreements were made to reaffirm the validity and strength of the Pink Tide: 1. It will mobilize on August 3 before the INE and on August 10 or 17 before the Electoral Tribunal. 2. The creation of a social-democratic party is being considered. 3. In September, there will be a march in support of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN). 4. On November 23, a National Citizen Congress will be held to define the steps to be taken.
The central equation for the Pink Tide’s success was its leaders’ ability to define the great causes to be defended that united everyone, such as the defense of INE, the defense of the independence of the SCJN, the defense of the freedom to vote without conditions, and the defense of the Constitution and the Rule of Law.
The problem with the transition from universal causes to ideological platforms is that many adherents are lost, either because they are members of other parties or do not agree with many of the programmatic approaches of the partisan ideology, especially when it comes to value issues, such as abortion, same-sex marriages, adoption of children by same-sex couples, sexual freedom in general, unofficial pre-trial detention, legalization of drugs, among others.
There are many challenges ahead for the Pink Tide. Finally, the conclusion is that, from the opposition’s point of view, this is the best thing that came out of a disastrous election. It is crucial to strengthen and grow the opposition’s presence, moral authority, and voice before the coming events that will be decisive in a society that, without being aware of it, has taken a direct route to authoritarianism.
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