Electoral Shenanigans

A couple of weeks ago, David Agren passed along the rumor that Enrique Peña Nieto was considering changing the date of the upcoming Mexico State election from 2011 to 2012, so as to avoid the possibility that a PAN-PRD alliance would win and in so doing deliver a severe blow to Peña Nieto's presidential ambitions. At the time, it struck me as all-but-impossible: too transparent the gambit, too cowardly the motivation, too cumbersome the process. I still basically feel the same way, but the rumor nonetheless seems to be gaining strength, with Carlos Navarette recently warning Mexicans about Peña Nieto's devious plans.