#CandidatoTransparente: There Are Signs Mexico Is Finally Taking Its Corruption Problem Seriously Ioan Grillo - GlobalPost
go to original May 14, 2015

CandidatoTransparente.mx: A kind of Facebook of politicos' accounts

It’s no secret: Mexican politicians have a reputation for being corrupt as hell.

One former Mexico City mayor with a suspicious fortune coined a phrase about it: “Un politico pobre es un pobre politico,” said the late Carlos Hank, meaning, “a politician who's poor is a poor politician.”

For decades, many Mexicans were resigned to that kind of attitude. But finally, public anger is forcing change.

Under pressure, Mexico’s congress has passed a law to create a so-called anti-corruption system. Activists have built a web platform to pressure political candidates to show their wealth. And journalists have exposed corrupt acts, resulting in resignations.

Mexico still has an uphill struggle. It’s tried to tackle corruption before. But some here are hopeful that this new momentum will lead to long-term improvements.

“It is like we are in the eye of the hurricane,” says Eduardo Bohorquez, head of the anti-graft group Mexican Transparency. “There is a crisis of confidence in politicians, which will rage for some time. But this is forcing some advances.”

Public anger has reached boiling point in recent months amid particularly outrageous scandals.

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