Who is Isabel Miranda de Wallace?

A few days ago, in the midst of economic uncertainty, of polls indicating a minor decline in Peña Nieto's popularity and the announcement of Heritage Foundation that Mexican's economy is less free than last year, the conservative National Action Party (PAN) declared officially that Isabel Miranda de Wallace was going to run for the Governorship of Mexico City. There were several reactions from political actors: from Demetrio Sodi, current major of one of the Federal District demarcations, stating Isabel's nomination was unfair to the other pre-candidates, to Beatriz Paredes, disqualifying her as a capable candidate for her lack of government experience.

Who is Isabel Miranda de Wallace?

She is a Mexican activist and president of the non-governmental organization Alto al Secuestro (lit. stop the kidnap); she was awarded the National Human Rights Prize 2010. In July 11 of 2005, her son, the businessman Hugo Alberto Wallace Miranda was kidnapped and killed. Instead of lamenting her misfortune, she started to look for information about her son's murderers, and even mounted billboards prompting the denouncement of the kidnappers. As a result, she has succeded in incarcerating 5 out of 6 of the murderers and founded the NGO Alto al secuestro. Her case was widely publicized by national and international media and she was recognized by her tenacity and determination. Her influence grew so large that she was able to participate in the elaboration of the law for protection of the victims of kidnaps.

In this picture: "Jacobo Tagle Dobin, Kidnapper, Wanted $250,000 (13.4 pesos=1 USD)".

She is regarded as one of the strongest and most persevering citizens in Mexico. She serves as a good example for what citizens can achieve. Because of that, the National Action Party, lacking competitive candidates to win or even to put up a good fight, decided to think outside of the box and do something completely innovative: postulate a very respected and popular social activist. This may appear like a common practice in advanced democracies, but it has no parallel in Mexico.

Given that politicians from Institutional Revolution Party (PRI), the party that retained the presidency for 71 years, and the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), the leftist party currently in power in Mexico City, have criticized Miranda de Wallace's candidacy, PAN's strategy may have made them nervous.

Clearly, Beatriz Paredes, the virtual candidate of the antidemocratic PRI, should win the capital: she has served as governor in the neighboring Tlaxcala state, has been president of her party, Senator, Deputy, ambassador, etc. She is the most capable politician aspiring to govern Mexico City. Alejandra Barrales has a good chance of getting the PRD's nomination; nevertheless, she is not as experienced as Beatriz Paredes.

Despite knowing all of this, voting for an exemplar citizen seems more attractive than doing it for more experienced politicians. In the unlikely case that Miranda de Wallace wins the governorship, she will be surrounded by PAN politicans and very capable advisors; voting for her is not irresponsible, but it is something that may annoy PRI and PRD, guilty of not approving the needed structural reforms to improve Mexico's economic growth prospectives.

Sources:

Alto al secuestro. http://www.altoalsecuestro.com.mx/ley%20antisecuestro.htm