Rebellion

Non-Calderonista members of the PAN are rejecting the candidacy of César Nava for PAN president, and are refusing to participate in the election. Led by Manuel Espino and Santiago Creel, the group objected to a candidate being imposed from Los Pinos, and speculated that Nava doesn't have the 66 percent of the votes necessary to win the post. El Universal sees the Nava candidacy as an expression of the PAN's drift away from its pro-democracy roots, and toward the hierarchical, presidentially dominated structure of the authoritarian PRI. Bajo Reserva published the following take:

For some political analysts and intellectuals, the electoral failure, an anodyne cabinet, uncontrolled variables (economy, security, governability), and the sole candidacy [of Nava] in the PAN are warnings to President Felipe Calderón to share power, with citizens of his party or not. The four events are related to an iron grip; to the idea that one most govern with family, friends, or unconditional supporters. 

Today's Imagen poll asks if all this uproar could lead to a fracture in the PAN. So far, more than 60 percent say yes. 

I kind of thought after the appointment of Fernando Gómez Mont, who wasn't known as a Calderón diehard, that the president was going to back off the exclusive selection of his closest collaborators for high-level PAN posts. I was mistaken.