12/03/14 (written by rorosco) — The two-year anniversary of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto’s election to office has been marred by protests throughout Mexico calling for his resignation. This coincides with the lowest approval rating of his presidency following the mishandling of the 43 missing students from Guerrero, Mexico in September of this year. According to a Reforma survey, Peña Nieto’s approval disapproval ratings have increased from 48% in April to now 59%, with only 39% of respondents approving of his performance. This drop is almost entirely attributed to the missing 43 students from the Ayotzinapa Teacher Training College that were arrested by Iguala police and turned over to the organized crime group, Guerreros Unidos (Warriors United). Police have since detained suspects from Guerreros Unidos, which claimed to have killed the students and incinerated their bodies. The students have been missing since September 26 and their disappearance has fueled discontent with the government and its ties to violence and corruption.
The continued protests over the matter have targeted government facilities throughout the country. Most recently, in Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero, demonstrators attacked the state prosecutor’s office, torching several vehicles outside including two police vehicles and breaking windows and office equipment. In Oaxaca, a protest led by the teachers’ union blocked roads leading to a Pemex oil refinery. Meanwhile thousands marched along a main avenue in Mexico City waving black flags and chanting, “You are not alone,” a message to the missing students’ parents. “This is what people are calling the Mexican awakening,” said Al Jazeera‘s Monica Villamizar. “There are protests like these all over Mexico and they have been going on for more than two months. People here [in Mexico City] are telling me they want the president to step down. They asked for reform and he announced reforms but they say that is not enough.”
As the families and protesters continue their fight for transparency and accountability from the government, many have refused to give up hope until they get answers and evidence of the students’ whereabouts. Although the students are presumed dead, especially given the confession from the Guerreros Unidos detainees that they had indeed killed the victims, their bodies have not been found and DNA testing is still being done on samples sent abroad pulled from several human remains from nearby mass graves. Meanwhile, the longer the wait continues, the deeper the public’s discontent with the Peña Nieto administration grows. “We no longer recognize Enrique Pena Nieto as president of Mexico because he has not met our central demand, which is to present our sons alive,” proclaimed Felipe de la Cruz, a spokesman for the families of the missing.
Sources:
“Mexico protesters call on president to resign.” Al Jazeera. December 1, 2014.
