Indigenous candidate draws surprising support in Mexico
OVENTIC, Mexico — This is what a grass-roots campaign looks like in a country where politics has always been dominated by big spending, corrupt politicians.
First of all, almost nobody calls Maria de Jesus Patricio by her name. Everyone knows the Nahua indigenous woman by her nickname, MariChuy.
She has never worn a power suit or heels, but rather always appears in an embroidered indigenous blouse and pants or skirt. She has no political machine, unless you count the rag-tag army of ski-masked Zapatista rebels who have pledged their support to her in the southern state of Chiapas. She’s unlikely to win Mexico’s presidency, or even get on the ballot, yet her campaign has nonetheless generated an unusual amount of enthusiasm.
Supporters from dozens of left-leaning groups in the urban sprawl of Mexico City organize coffee klatches, small concerts and neighbourhood walk-arounds for the uphill battle to sign up the 866,000 voters needed by Feb. 12 to get her on next July’s presidential ballot as an independent candidate.