Feminism, before the ratification of Salgado Macedonio: "They prefer the votes to guarantee a life free of violence for women"

Margo Glantz, Lorena Villavicencio, Marta Lamas, Yolitzin Jaimes and Patricia Olamendi. SOCIAL NETWORKS

The case of Félix Salgado Macedonio culminates, for the moment, with the support of Morena to be his standard-bearer in the Guerrero elections.

Neither the allegations of rape against him nor the feminist protests inside and outside the party have moved the electoral aspirations of the senator or the support of the main leaders of the party.

“We may have painful disagreements on current issues, but [the fourth transformation and feminism] are historical allies.

We both fight against oppression, violence, inequality and injustice, ”the party said in a statement on Friday.

The decision represents a blow to the feminist groups that demand the disqualification of the candidate and point out the inconsistencies in the positioning of Andrés Manuel López Obrador's party.

"It's a joke," says activist Yolitzin Jaimes.

"In this bizarre Mexico, activists have to cover their faces and aggressors campaign," he says.

In the same writing, Morena recognizes the "cultural problem" that machismo represents in Mexico and that "has hurt the country for centuries," but decides to support the candidate preferred by most of the people who surveyed in Guerrero.

“The people of Guerrero evaluated and made a decision.

We are obliged to respect it ”, expressed the formation.

Jaimes insists that the security and rights of women cannot be consulted.

"They prefer the votes to guarantee a life free of violence for the women and girls of Guerrero," says the activist.

Despite what it symbolizes that Morena's representative has two complaints of rape in one of the states with the highest rates of femicidal violence, there is no legal impediment for Salgado Macedonio to stand in the elections and be the next governor of Guerrero.

The law only prohibits a candidate from standing in the elections if he has a conviction and in this case, the investigation of Salgado has been stalled in the Guerrero Prosecutor's Office since 2017. “It is a problem of the country, of machismo and corruption in Mexico , which surpasses Morena and also affects the other parties.

Hopefully this case serves to advance some regulation or law that requires a claim for rape to be resolved in a reasonable time, ”says sociologist Marta Lamas.

"If it had been resolved in time, we would not be in this conflict," he adds.

Beyond the external voices that criticize Morena for her decision, the greatest opposition that Salgado Macedonio has encountered comes from the women of his party.

More than 500 more than 500 morenistas among deputies, senators, militants and supporters have been the wall against which the politician's selection process has crashed.

“We do not want a country or a party of untouchable aggressors.

Justice is not resolved at the ballot box, it is done in the courts and popularity should not be above the human rights, dignity and integrity of any woman, ”said Lorena Villavicencio, a deputy for Morena.

Only time will tell what political bill the

Salgado case

will pass to Morena

, a controversy that goes beyond a partisan issue to become a cause that has been embraced by the feminist movement in the country.

“Not understanding that women are being a very important political force in this country is denying history.

Denying what is in front of your eyes, ”says writer Margo Glantz.

The pressure of women has turned a decision that seemed simple into Morena's worst nightmare in recent times.

The candidacy seemed defined for weeks, but the claims forced the formation to make an internal process transparent to clarify what happened and evaluate if the application could be sustained despite the accusations.

The Honesty Commission made an ambiguous decision: it put Salgado's candidacy on hold, but unanimously determined that the accusations were "inappropriate" and "unfounded" and that it would repeat the polls to determine which candidate was the best for the next June elections. , the largest in the history of Mexico.

In a week, Salgado Macedonio was ratified as a candidate.

The case targeted Morena, but also brought to light the problems of impunity, gender-based political violence, and the failure of the justice system: only 1% of sexual violence cases end in a sentence in Guerrero.

"It is a joke to tell women to report if you maintain such a high level of impunity," laments Patricia Olamendi.

The lawyer assures that after knowing this decision, Morena sends a loud and clear message to the abusers.

"Aggressors, rapists and femicides in this country can continue doing whatever they want because they will always be protected," he concludes.

That Morena recognizes the existence of machismo, but ends up making the decision to keep the candidate has disappointed most of the women in the militancy, 51% of Morena's ranks.

“I think there has always been machismo in this and in all the games.

Men have a hard time recognizing that women have rights and that their bodies are not colonizable.

They do not have the right to be harassed, raped or forced to have children ”, questions Glantz.

"The serious thing is that politically men do not realize that the women's movement is a truly powerful movement," she adds.

The start of the Salgado Macedonio campaign in Guerrero took place just five days after the March 8 demonstrations, which exacerbated the conflict between the López Obrador government and the feminist movement.

But the conflict has reached the entire party system, which have failed in their attempt to take advantage of feminism for their own benefit, says Jaimes.

"Our anger will make all the Felix in Mexico fall," warns the activist.

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