During the past few months, the sentimental relationship between actress and singer Anahí and the governor of Chiapas, Mexico's poorest state, has caught the attention of tabloids and national entertainment publications; however, the political aspect of what many have called a "PRI-like model" of personal promotion had been blurred until recently.
As President Enrique Peña Nieto did before, the image that Velasco shows the Mexican people is one of a young and attractive politician in a relationship with a celebrity. But as it happened with the President, Velasco is accused of wasting taxpayer money on his image.
Univisión estimates that the young politician has spent close to 10 million dollars promoting his image in his first year of government alone, double what his predecessor spent in two years.
Besides excessive spending in political propaganda and image, the funds for which have an unclear origin, the governor of Chiapas violated article 228 of the Federal Code of Institutions and Electoral Procedures (COFIPE) of Mexico. The COFIPE indicates that public servants have the right to promote the actions they have carried out, in their annual report, "as long as it's limited to once a year in stations and channels with regional coverage... which does not exceed seven days previous and five days after the date of the report," according to Sin Embargo.
The presence of Velasco's image in the Federal District, the states of Mexico, Puebla, Tlaxcala and others have caught the attention of political analysts who have pointed out the unfair amount of money the politician has used to promote his image on billboards and buses. The governor's image is also promoted on TV and national newspapers.
An "Aggravating" Campaign
During his participation in the analysis table of MVS Radio, analyst Miguel Pulido, director of Fundar, (Center for Analysis and Research A.C.) considered that many politicians use the report of activities as a "pretext" to "promote themselves", according to Aristegui Noticias.
Pulido considered wasting such amounts of money on political publicity to be "an act of political cynicism" when he is the governor of the poorest state in Mexico.
"Every time someone sees Velasco, they ought to feel offended. This is bad news for transparency: there is an informative unbalance, the obligation to present a report of activities is replaced by promoting the image of a governor outside his state," Pulido said.
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