PRI Victory Still Disputed

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San Francisco Chronicle interview with Rosario Ibarra Ryan/Soclalist Action Edgar Sanchez is a member of the Political Committee of the Revolutionary Workers Party (PRT), Mexican section of the Fourth International.

Comrades, we are celebrating not only the founding of the Fourth International, but the continuity and legitimacy of the program and the principles of our world party. Let me tell you how I feel about this continuity today in Mexico and about our contribution to that continuity.

We should remember that 50 years ago, when the Fourth International was founded, comrade Trotsky was in Mexico. He was given asylum by the Lazaro Cardenas 2 ANNIVERSARY SUP Revolutionary Party (PRI), won its famous stability for 30 years.

In the 1930s, no one opposed this line successfully in the mass movement. Of course comrade Trotsky was there. And he struggled against this line together with a relatively small group of Mexican comrades. But they weren't strong enough in the working class to change the course of events.

This situation didn't change until the 1968 student movement. A new situation was created. The old reformist, Stalinist ideas were defeated by the upsurge of the new movement. New left-wing and socialist organizations were created. Revolutionary organizations like ours were revitalized.

The youth repudiated the Communist Party and especially the line of Lombardo Toledano. Toledano and his party said that the '68 student movement was a bluff created by the CIA or by the Trotskyists— it was the same for them.

But Toledano didn't get the answer he used to get in the '30s: He himself died at the end of '68. Twenty years later, however, it seems Toledano came back for his revenge against the '68 generation. In this election, the party of Toledano and the absolute majority of the Mexican left are repeating the experience of the Popular 'LEMENT Special to The Chronicle T in Mexico's history says that the mo he first woman presidential candidate mentum built up by the opposition parties in the July fi election cannot be stopped Kosario Ibarra de Piedra, candidate of the leftist finidad Popular (Popular Unity) coalition. human rights advocate, two-time Noll I'rize nominer and, until the election last month, a deputy in the Mexican Con. gress, Says that if the opposition remains firmly united the Institutional Revolution. ary Party 1'RD. whach has ruled Mexico for almost f0 years, will have to deal with them.

Ibarra said that an official within the Rovernment told Cardenas that he won the elertion and that on July 16 at a "defend the vote " rally in the sculo ithe main square in Mexan l'ily, C'ardenas had publicly an nounced that he will make publc the nante of the person who informed him of this on December 1" when the congress convenes and the new president is officially received and delivers his traditional accep. tance spech.

The opposition says it has documenta lion of election fraud from its own observ ers. who compiled data and tallied the vote it the polling plares independently from the government. and of intimidation and hallot stuffing from the labor unions and other organizations.

'The phenomenon of C'ardenas i total ly new and different in Mese Hurry — Romario Ibarra is "The people bese followed hon and lined up brund him because they think he Ipresents change. I don t know if thing› will change or not don mot a daddened E Krald hase preferee to em masolfe he sand, throwing up her hands and laughing the defense of democracy. I have told Car. denas that if and when he becomes presi dent I will become the most intransigent oppositionist to him," she added with a spar. kle in her eye.

Another reason for the opposition strenkih, according to Ibarra, Is that "the people are tired, they are fed up with the fraud, the cheating and the enormous debt. Juxt payment on the interest on the debt lakes 50 cents of every dollar of the federal budket. This has meant cutbacks on all the social budget.. education, housing, health. People who need to go to the doctor cannot. Housing there is none. And unemploy. ment is enormous!

"I think, too - and this is very impor rant.- that the mentality of the people has chanerd. In 1982 (when she first ran for president), the thing people must asked me to do, the verb that was most used, was help us, help me. My answer was 1am not going to help you, you are going to help yourself along with me: This year people say 'Rosa rio, we are going to do it together. You are on the right track Rosario.'"

All this has resulted in the prowth of Krass rexils organizations to improve living conditions, in the growth of the opposition parties and smaller organizations, and also I a greater participation of women ta the political process.

Ibarra's own political career began al. irr the kidnapine of her son, Jesus Pledra Ibarra, on April 18. 1975. She has had no word of him since and thaisat te is non

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