Paulino Pozos Aguilar is the municipal president of the municipality of Tancanhuitz de los Santos, State of San Luis Potosi, Mexico (CEEESLP 8 Sept. 2001a; ibid. 14 May 2002). Representing the Institutional Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Institucional, PRI), he was elected in the first round of general elections held on 2 July 2000 (ibid.), running against Efrain Gonzalez Flores of the National Action Party (Partido Acción Nacional, PAN) and Raymundo Moran Pascual of the Alliance for Mexico in San Luis Potosi (Alianza por México en San Luis Potosí) (ibid. 29 June 2000). A run-off of this election was held on 13 August 2000 for 18 municipalities of San Luis Potosi, but Tancanhuitz de los Santos was not one of them (ibid. 8 Sept. 2001b). In the district of Tamazunchale, the candidates for the municipal presidency were Sergio Hernandez Hernandez of the PAN, Rosendo Pazzi Pacheco of the PRI, and Primo Dothe Mata of the Nava Political Party (Nava Partido Político) (ibid. 29 June 200o0).

Tancanhuitz de los Santos (also written in some sources as Tancanhuitz de Santos) is comprised of two urban sections and 13 rural sections, belongs to electoral district XIV of San Luis Potosi, and has approximately 10,600 registered voters (ibid. 8 Sept. 2001c). The current municipal government is comprised of Paulino Pozos Aguilar (president, PRI), Marciano Gomez Hernandez (councillor, PRI), Carlos Piña Calva (síndico, PRI), Humberto Loera Isais and Dido Lorenza Rojas Martell (councillors, PRI), Martin Eusebio Saenz Juarez and Ignacio Ramirez Hernandez (councillors, PAN), and Maria Alejandra Medina Reyes (councillor, Alianza por México en San Luis Potosí) (ibid. 8 Sept. 2001a).

No reports of corruption specifically naming Paulino Pozos could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

However, two newspapers of San Luis Potosi report that the State Legislature held on 12 June 2002 a secret session (sesión secreta) to determine the penalties against 45 municipalities for 71 sets of their public accounts for the year 2000, with 28 more cases pending a decision-some refer to the municipal government for the period that began in 1997 ended in September 2000, while others refer to the administration that took office in September 2000 and will end in 2003 (Pulso 13 June 2002; El Sol de San Luis 13 June 2002). Pulso reports that Tancanhuitz was one of nine municipalities that received a disciplinary declaration (apercibimiento) and a fine or a transfer of their file to the Superior Comptroller Body (Organo Superior de Fiscalización) of San Luis Potosi, due to "inconsistencies in the use of Section 33 resources" (inconsistencias en los recursos del Ramo 33) (13 June 2002). El Sol de San Luis reports that fines of up to 57,000 pesos were issued to municipal presidents and former municipal presidents (13 June 2002). Some of the reasons for imposing fines were: payment of salaries to female presidents of Family Integrated Development (Desarrollo Integral de la Familia, DIF) branches whose position is honourary, paying fines with public funds, and not producing receipts (ibid.). However, the reports do not specify for which reasons the Tancanhuitz municipality or its municipal president have been fined and disciplined.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Consejo Estatal Electoral del Estado de San Luis Potosí (CEEESLP), San Luis Potosi. 14 May 2002. "Resultados Electorales-Elecciones 2000." http://www.electoralslp.org.mx/Paginas/F_Sec_7_4.html [Accessed 13 June 2002]

_____. 8 September 2001a. "Resultados Electorales-Ayuntamientos." http://www.electoralslp.org.mx/Paginas/Frame_7_4/F_Sec_7_4_43.html [Accessed 13 June 2002]

_____. 8 September 2001b. "Segunda Votación año 2000." http://www.electoralslp.org.mx/Paginas/F_Sec_8.html [Accessed 13 June 2002]

_____. 8 September 2000c. "Distrito XIV-con cabecera en Tancanhuitz de Santos, S.L.P." http://www.electoralslp.org.mx/Paginas/F_Sec_12_14.html [Accessed 13 June 2002]

_____. 29 June 2000. "Rumbo al 2000-Candidatos Ayuntamientos." http://www.electoralslp.org.mx/Paginas/F_Sec_10_3.html [Accessed 13 June 2002]

Pulso [San Luis Potosi]. 13 June 2002. "Dictaminan diputados en sesión secreta 71 cuentas públicas." http://www.pulsoslp.com.mx/Local/ notaLocal.asp?C=78&S=Parte1 [Accessed 13 June 2002]

El Sol de San Luis [San Luis Potosi]. 13 June 2002. "Irregulares: 71 Cuentas Públicas del año 2000." http://www.elsoldesanluis.com.mx/020613/local/3local.asp [Accessed 13 June 2002]

Additional Sources Consulted

El Informador [Guadalajara, Jalisco]. Searchable archives, 2000-2002.

IRB Databases.

La Jornada [Mexico City]. Searchable archives, 2000-2001.

Internet sites and search engines.

Note:

This list is not exhaustive. Country-specific publications available in the Resource Centre are not included.