Enrique Priego Oropeza

Enrique Priego Oropeza (Villahermosa, Tabasco) is a Mexican politician of the Institutional Revolutionary Party and former Governor of Tabasco.

His arrival to the Governor of Tabasco occurs after which the Federal Electoral Tribunal annulled the election for Governor and revoked the certainty of majority to the PRI member Manuel Andrade, who had won after the elections of October 15, 2000.

Priego - López Conflict

The cancellation of the elections of Governor took by surprise to the Government in functions, which forced the congress to extraordinary session way to name to that had to take the reins from the state as Temporary Governor before the imminent exit of Roberto Madrazo as chief executive, who finished to his term on December 31, 2000.

Article 47 of the constitution of the state says the following thing:

"In the case of absolute lack of the Governor, happened in both first years of the respective period, if the Congress is in sessions, it will be elevated immediately in Electoral School and concurring at least the two third parts of the total number of his members, will name, in secret scrutiny and by absolute majority of votes, to a temporary Governor.

"The same Congress, will send within the five following days to the one of the designation of temporary Governor, the call for the election of Governor who must conclude the respective period; having to mediate between the date of the call and the one that is indicated to carry out elections, greater a nonsmaller term of three months nor of six."

"If the Congress will not be in sessions, the Permanent Commission will name, of course, to a provisional Governor and will summon to extraordinary sessions the Congress so that this one designates to the temporary Governor and sends the call for the election of Governor in the terms of the previous paragraph."

"When the lack of Governor happened after the second year of the respective period, if the Congress were in sessions will designate to the Governing Substitute that will have to conclude the period. If the Congress will not be reunited, the Permanent Commission will name a Governor provisional and will summon the Congress to Extraordinary Sessions so that it is elevated in Electoral School and it makes the designation of substitute Governor."

Taking as it bases the article, on December 31, 2000, the parliamentary group of the PRI of the 56 legislature (and that stopped that same day) it designated to the federal deputy without license, Enrique Priego, as Temporary Governor. Act that was described like as legislative Dawn attack on the part of the PRD.

The PRD opposed the designation arguing that on December 31, 2000 was no absolute lack of governor, because Madrazo still was in functions and that in any case, would have to be the 57 legislature, same that entered functions the January 1, 2001 (the same day which the new governor) the one that he designated as Temporary Governor.

Under this argument, the legislators of PRD, PAN, PT and two of the PRI designated to the then Secretary General of the PRI, Adán Augusto López, as Temporary Governor, untying with it a postelectoral conflict without precedents in the state and the country: There were two governors in functions in a state. After political negotiations and several rinsings, the partisan forces agreed and Enrique Priego assumed the interinato and called new elections for August 5, 2001.

ee also

*Governor of Tabasco