"Fearing the PRI (Institutional Revolution Party) would cancel their gift cards, hundreds of people turned up at Soriana supermarkets around the
Federal District's outskirts to spend the store credit card representatives of said party had given them in exchange of their vote for Enrique Peņa
Nieto and other candidates from the Alliance for Mexico.
Worth from $300 to $700 pesos (roughly from $22 to $52 USD) the cards were distributed after voting and proving their choice, one card was handled
over per checked vote, people could bring somebody else to vote for the PRI's candidate and that would also give them a card. Each store credit card
could be used to buy groceries and home appliances.
Even the supermarket's cashiers identified the cards as "the ones the PRI gave away in exchange for votes". The voters were told that this was just a
part of what the candidates could achieve if they got to the positions they were competing for.
Last week the PRD (Democratic Revolution Party) reported the delivery of over a million Soriana store credit cards in the center of Mexico to buy
votes from the people; the PAN (National Action Party) also reported a similar strategy, debit cards from the MONEX bank which were to receive a
deposit if the holder voted in favor of the Alliance for Mexico's candidates; the elections' court did not freeze either activity arguing lack of
evidence."TMW - 7-4-2012 at 11:06 AM
In todays local paper it was reported that many of the PRI cards were for less than the voter was told. Some of the people said they were told the
cards were for 500 pesos but when the used them they were only 100 pesos.Santiago - 7-4-2012 at 11:46 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Gypsy Jan
...after voting and proving their choice, one card was handled over per checked vote,
How do you prove who you've voted for?woody with a view - 7-4-2012 at 12:28 PM
it depends, if the cards were the proper value them they would keep their mouth closed and this wouldn't be an issue!
note to the Obam-Ney campaigns.....
Sounds like total B.S. to me
thebajarunner - 7-4-2012 at 12:42 PM
Let's do some math here folks.
With a total of just under 50 million votes cast......
And just for talking, let's say each voter got a "card"
and let's pick the lower number of 300 pesos, which is about $22 more or less.
That would work out to $700 million (US) total.
O.K. let's just say half got cards, still $350 million
You gonna tell me that there was that kind of money spent on just the "handouts" in this election?
On top of the most massive t.v. advertising ever in Mexican history.
Liberals do this kind of math all the time up here and get away with it...
oh, wait, it was posted up here in a slightly left leaning press piece.
guess that explains it.
