Monday, May 12, 2003, 11:08 am EST
Artists and athletes seek political power in Mexico
EFE
-----------------------------
Mexico City, May 11 (EFE).- Painter Jose Luis Cuevas and soccer star Manuel Negrete will join 10 other personalities from the world of entertainment in an attempt to get elected to public office in Mexico`s July 6 balloting.
Several of the political hopefuls are aiming for the national House of Representatives, while others are focusing on the openings in the capital`s 16 municipalities.
Artists, athletes and actors are leaving behind their brushes, training fields and makeup, although the last item still might come in handy on occasion on the campaign trail.
The 69-year-old Cuevas announced he is representing Mexican intellectuals as he heads the Fuerza Ciudadana party, a newcomer to the electoral process.
"More than 30 years ago, I ran for Congress as an independent, but I was young, I lacked expertise, and obviously I lost. If I reach the House of Representatives this time, I will do so as a representative of Mexico`s intellectuals," he explained.
If his party garners 2.5 percent of the national vote, Cuevas will have a seat in the next legislature, because the winners are determined by a system of proportional representation.
Other high profile personalities seeking office are actresses Laura Zapata, Irma Serrano, and Silvia Pasquel; actor Ernesto Gomez Cruz; soccer player Negrete; former boxer Jose "Pipino" Cuevas; and Olympian Carlos Giron.
Zapata might have the drawback of playing mean-spirited characters in well-known soap operas, but many people have deep feelings for the star since the ordeal of her being kidnapped in September along with her sister Ernestina.
Another bonus in her favor is the music and fame of Thalia, her younger sibling.
Zapata is a congressional candidate for the National Action Party (PAN), the ruling politic bloc that operates with the slogan "Take the brakes off of change," ("quitale el freno al cambio").
Another anti-hero from the world of soap operas is Pasquel, a Fuerza Ciudadana candidate seeking to head the Coyoacan municipality.
Maria Rojo, the main character from the movie "Danzon," has already held the position.
Furthermore, Pasquel is the daughter of Mexican film diva Silvia Pinal, who climbed to fame under the wing of renowned Spanish director Luis Buquel and who occupied a seat in the House of Representatives and the Senate for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).
PAN has high hopes of clinching the municipality of Tlalpan with Erik del Castillo, a movie and soap opera star who is also the father of actress Kate del Castillo.
The 70-year-old Serrano already has ample political experience, having been a senator and a candidate for the governorship of Chiapas with the left-leaning Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD).
She has been romantically linked to former President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz (1964-1970) and she was recently caught in public carrying a gun.
Many believe the implications of such an image can be helpful, because she wants to head Cuauhtemoc, the municipality with the highest crime rate in Mexico City.
Negrete, a former national team player and author of what may have been the best goal of the World Cup played in Mexico in 1986, is a PAN candidate for Congress.
The July 6 vote will renew 500 seats in the House of Representatives and the local representation in 16 municipalities.
EFE
WHO IN THE N.B.A / N.F.L. /M.L.B. OR ANY SPORT PERSON WOULD YOU VOTE FOR AND WHY?
ME LATTRELL SPREEWELL, CUZ INSTEAD OF SENDING 250,000 TROOPS OVER THERE HE WOULD GO DO A MAJOR CHOKE HOLD ON THAT FOOL
HAHAHAHAHAAA
Artists and athletes seek political power in Mexico
EFE
-----------------------------
Mexico City, May 11 (EFE).- Painter Jose Luis Cuevas and soccer star Manuel Negrete will join 10 other personalities from the world of entertainment in an attempt to get elected to public office in Mexico`s July 6 balloting.
Several of the political hopefuls are aiming for the national House of Representatives, while others are focusing on the openings in the capital`s 16 municipalities.
Artists, athletes and actors are leaving behind their brushes, training fields and makeup, although the last item still might come in handy on occasion on the campaign trail.
The 69-year-old Cuevas announced he is representing Mexican intellectuals as he heads the Fuerza Ciudadana party, a newcomer to the electoral process.
"More than 30 years ago, I ran for Congress as an independent, but I was young, I lacked expertise, and obviously I lost. If I reach the House of Representatives this time, I will do so as a representative of Mexico`s intellectuals," he explained.
If his party garners 2.5 percent of the national vote, Cuevas will have a seat in the next legislature, because the winners are determined by a system of proportional representation.
Other high profile personalities seeking office are actresses Laura Zapata, Irma Serrano, and Silvia Pasquel; actor Ernesto Gomez Cruz; soccer player Negrete; former boxer Jose "Pipino" Cuevas; and Olympian Carlos Giron.
Zapata might have the drawback of playing mean-spirited characters in well-known soap operas, but many people have deep feelings for the star since the ordeal of her being kidnapped in September along with her sister Ernestina.
Another bonus in her favor is the music and fame of Thalia, her younger sibling.
Zapata is a congressional candidate for the National Action Party (PAN), the ruling politic bloc that operates with the slogan "Take the brakes off of change," ("quitale el freno al cambio").
Another anti-hero from the world of soap operas is Pasquel, a Fuerza Ciudadana candidate seeking to head the Coyoacan municipality.
Maria Rojo, the main character from the movie "Danzon," has already held the position.
Furthermore, Pasquel is the daughter of Mexican film diva Silvia Pinal, who climbed to fame under the wing of renowned Spanish director Luis Buquel and who occupied a seat in the House of Representatives and the Senate for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).
PAN has high hopes of clinching the municipality of Tlalpan with Erik del Castillo, a movie and soap opera star who is also the father of actress Kate del Castillo.
The 70-year-old Serrano already has ample political experience, having been a senator and a candidate for the governorship of Chiapas with the left-leaning Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD).
She has been romantically linked to former President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz (1964-1970) and she was recently caught in public carrying a gun.
Many believe the implications of such an image can be helpful, because she wants to head Cuauhtemoc, the municipality with the highest crime rate in Mexico City.
Negrete, a former national team player and author of what may have been the best goal of the World Cup played in Mexico in 1986, is a PAN candidate for Congress.
The July 6 vote will renew 500 seats in the House of Representatives and the local representation in 16 municipalities.
EFE
WHO IN THE N.B.A / N.F.L. /M.L.B. OR ANY SPORT PERSON WOULD YOU VOTE FOR AND WHY?
ME LATTRELL SPREEWELL, CUZ INSTEAD OF SENDING 250,000 TROOPS OVER THERE HE WOULD GO DO A MAJOR CHOKE HOLD ON THAT FOOL
HAHAHAHAHAAA