Cardenas’ Plan to Appoint Son Draws Criticism in Mexico City
More than four months before he takes office, the capital’s popular Mayor-elect Cuauhtemoc Cardenas was embroiled Wednesday in his first scandal after he named his son as a member of his future Cabinet.
Charges of nepotism were splashed over the front pages of Mexican newspapers after Cardenas appointed his son, Cuauhtemoc Cardenas Batel, to a key six-person team to ensure a smooth hand-over of power in December.
At a news conference after meeting with the capital’s outgoing Mayor Oscar Espinosa Villarreal on Tuesday, Cardenas said there was “no doubt at all” that the six would form part of his Cabinet.
But after reporters raised questions of nepotism, the Democratic Revolution Party leader backed off from that firm statement--even though he complained of “wrongful and fraudulent interpretations” about his son’s position.
“Up to now, I’ve invited nobody to be a part of the new government,” Cardenas said in a statement late Tuesday.
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