The Leader of Mexico’s Leftist Party Visits Washington, D.C.The president of the main leftist party in Mexico, the Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolución Democrática or PRD), Jesus Zambrano, recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to alert U.S. investors to alleged difficulties and problems associated with investing in energy projects in Mexico. At a press conference at the Woodrow Wilson Center, Zambrano went as far as warning that a possibility of a social outbreak exists in Mexico if the reforms to pending secondary legislation are approved. His statements had no major effect in the United States and were practically unnoticed in the press. However, the statements generated harsh criticism from Mexican politicians, academics and businessmen, since Zambrano went against the long standing tradition of not airing out Mexico’s internal issues before foreign observers. As the Mexican saying goes, “Wash your dirty laundry at home.” Mexican electoral laws prohibit political parties from speaking and campaigning outside of Mexico. As such, many considered the PRD president’s actions to be contrary to such legal restriction, as well as lacking in patriotism and veracity. Zambrano indicated that in 2015 the possibility exists of a popular referendum to determine whether the people of Mexico want the energy reform or not. However, he failed to mention that a popular referendum may not be held as to constitutional reforms, as he surely must know. In other words, a popular referendum may not be held to revoke constitutional reforms such as those that established the constitutional framework on which the energy reform regulations will be based. This is a new setback for the PRD, which has been unable to find its footing given the rupture resulting from the departure of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who left PRD and created a new organization known as MORENA, which is likely to become a new leftist political party.
