Eight days before the new municipal authority of Pantelhó was due to take office, the political conflict remains unresolved. This Tuesday, residents of that region who are holding a sit-in in the central square of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, threatened to block the highway that connects San Cristóbal de Las Casas with the state capital and to expand the blockades in the city center. Don Alberto Cruz Gómez, coordinator of the town of Pantelhó, declared that they will not back down from their demand: the State Congress must name Julio Pérez Pérez, the person they propose, as president of the municipal council.
Currently, the protesters are blocking the three entrances to the State Congress. “We have come with the people of the 65 communities to demand a response from Congress, because the state government has never listened to our voice. We have submitted documents since March of this year, but we have not been respected,” said Cruz Gómez.
The conflict began when the government appointed Juan Gómez Sántiz as president of the municipal council, whom the inhabitants accuse of being linked to the Herrera family, accused by the community of committing crimes for decades. “The Herreras are accomplices of murders, they stole cattle, they planted bombs and poison on our lands. We do not want them or Juan Gómez Sántiz, who was appointed by Congress, to govern,” Cruz Gómez denounced.
The inhabitants demand that the State Congress ratify Julio Pérez Pérez as president of the municipal council, warning that, if they do not obtain a favorable response, they will intensify their actions. “In addition to blocking the road, we will also take over stores. If they give us a solution, we will do nothing, but we want an immediate response. We do not accept either the Herreras or Juan Gómez Sántiz,” Cruz Gómez insisted.
Francisco Gutiérrez Cortés, a resident of San Caralampio, in Pantelhó, added: “If there is no solution in 24 hours, we will block the Chiapa de Corzo bridge on the Tuxtla-San Cristóbal federal highway.”
Another protester from San Antonio El Encanto said that, after eight days of protest, they have still not received solutions from the government. “We want them to listen to us and respect us. If not, we will take the international highway in Chiapa de Corzo,” he warned.
The municipal council appointed by the Permanent Commission of the LXVIII Legislature of the State Congress is made up of Juan Gómez Sántiz as president; Marta Ovilia Trejo Hernández as trustee; and councilors Alberto González Sántiz, Rebeca Cortés Hernández and Rubén Herrera Gutiérrez. However, the protesters reject this designation and demand the ratification of their own candidate.
Source: elheraldodechiapas
