Saturday, December 3, 2011

Mexico's ex-ruling party leader quits amid scandal (AP)

MEXICO CITY ? The president of Mexico's former ruling party resigned Friday amid a financial scandal that had begun to weigh on the party's hopes to regain the presidency in 2012.

Humberto Moreira, who headed the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, said he is leaving the post because he doesn't want to hurt the party.

"I've resigned because I'm not going to allow a media war that is trying to harm our party to continue," Moreira said told party members. "I also do it because I believe in a man who is the hope for Mexico, Enrique Pena Nieto."

Pena Nieto, the PRI's presidential candidate, has recently begun publicly distancing himself from the party leader.

Moreira fought to remain in office despite a growing scandal over the revelation he left a 34 billion peso ($2.8 billion) debt in the state of Coahuila when he resigned as governor to take over the PRI.

A close former aide to Moreira also is under investigation for amassing unexplained wealth, buying property in the U.S. and becoming CEO of two firms and a shareholder in Mexican radio stations on a modest state salary.

Moreira, 45, has called the claims a smear campaign against the PRI as it is poised to regain the presidency it lost in 2000 after 71 years of rule.

But Pena Nieto and other party leaders have tried to show the party is now more democratic and transparent, most notably in its open process of choosing candidates, who in the past were simply appointed before by their predecessors.

Cristina Sanchez, who was the PRI's general secretary, replaced Moreira.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111202/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_mexico_political_scandal

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