Ahead of Elections, Protests in Mexico Turn Violent

A powerful dissident movement within Mexico's National Educational Workers' Union, known as the National Coordinator of Education Workers or by its Spanish acronym, CNTE, along with other allied organizations have carried out a series of demonstrations since June 1 as part of a threat to block the June 7 national legislative elections. The demonstrations primarily affect the CNTE's stronghold in the southwestern states of Michoacan, Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas, and have included marches, blocked highways, clashes with police, assaults on electoral and other government offices, and blockades at gas stations and other Petroleos Mexicanos facilities. 

CNTE's grievances arose out of 2014 education reforms aimed at reducing the power of teachers' unions, particularly in Mexico's southwestern states. To dissuade the CNTE from its threats to disrupt the election, President Enrique Pena Nieto's administration is engaged in behind-the-scenes talks with the protest organizers. Whether Mexico City manages to minimize electoral disruptions without having to resort to a heavy-handed use of security forces will depend on how these talks go.