SEEKS PARLIAMENTARY ROAD IN MEXICO
MEXICO, D.F. -- The recent conference of the MLN [Movimiento de Liberacién Nacional] brought to light differences of which only the "experts" _ were aware up to now between the Communist party of Mexico [CP] and what ~ could be called the official leadership of the MLN. The CP, it should be noted, is within the MLN, since the latter permits either individuals or political bodies to join provided they subordinate themselves to the offie. cial leadership. :
There has been much discussion in the press about these differences which at times became so sharp that members of the presidium at the cénference lost control in face of the rough-house tactics of the CP which went. . alle out in its efforts to drag the MLN into the FEP [Frente Electoral del - Pueblo]. a
The FEP is the most recent creation of the CP, t was formed last May.when the majority of the national leadership of the MLN refused to participate in the 1964 elections for senators, deputies and a new presi«= dent... (The minority of the MLN was organized by Terrazas and Danzés, lead~ ers of the CP, and the bourgeois liberal former governor of Lower California, Braulio Maldonado, ) Pee
The refusal to convert the MLN into a political party or front of ~~ political parties caused great disappointment in many quarters, including some of the leaders of the MLN. However, it was the political explanation offered for this refusal and not the refusal per se which was reactionary. .
It was argued that the MLN is trying to carry out "democratic" educational work, above all in the countryside and that this campaign does not aim at preparing the peasants-for revolution, although they have had enough ‘of electoral promises, but on the contrary seeks to convince them to have faith in a constitution that is not observed in the least by its creators, beneficiaries and main apologists,
To tell the truth, the FEP does not transcend the MLN because of its desire to participate in elections, Khrushchev'ts partisans are inveterate opportunists who have been reduced to the absurd in seeking to carry out their "theory" of the peaceful, parliamentary road to "national democracy," - the "tactical" euphism the CP uses for "socialism" in order not to frighten people.unprepared to go that far. (As for the Moscow-Peking conflict, the CP ardently favors Khrushchev, going so far in defense of his line as to intimidate the rank and file from touching the "poison" of Chinese documents. . a
' The FEP confronts an embarrassing problem in taking the parliamentary road;. that- is, the absence of parliamentary democracy, It is somewhat difficult to solve this problem by purely democratic means in view of the absence of democracy in the registration of political parties,
Barred from registering as a party, the FEP has resorted to all kinds of legalistic maneuvers == court orders, etc. ~= and declared war on the
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bourgeois - government in its own terrain, the constitution and bourgeois legality. Lo
The Venezuelan CP also sought to follow the parliamentary road, but when they were denied parliamentary immunity and were faced by armed attack they did not hesitate to resort to extra-parliamentary means, their theory to the contrary. Not so the Mexican CP, 7
In the MLN there is much discussion now about the stand of the Chinese and whether they are not right in view of the position of the Mexican CP, In the same sector of the MLN, and not in the CP, ere to be found the parte» isans of Fidel,
(There is a split off from the CP which calls itself the Partido Bol» chevique de México which openly adheres to the Chinese theses. But it.is. very small and at the same time is composed of such out-and-out admirers of Stalin that it lacks any standing whatsoever, )
These forces believe that an electoral struggle in the European style would be suicidal for a revolutionary party in Mexico where the electoral "struggle" is a farce played by the PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucional), the party of the big bourgeoisie, and its servile competitors, both bourgeois and "Marxist-Leninist" (among the latter is to be found the Popular Socialist party of Lombardo Toledano),
As yet these forces have not found the needed alternative to the pas~ sive policies of the conservative leadership of the MLN,
ITALIAN CP