Chapala Mayor JoaquÃn Huerta and city councilor Francisco DÃaz have taken temporary leaves of absence to pursue runs in 2015 electoral races. Moisés Sanabria Gálvez, the municipality’s incumbent Sindico (legal administrator), was named to replace Huerta as interim mayor.
Huerta is seeking the nomination as the National Action Party (PAN) candidate for the District 17 seat in the Jalisco state legislature. DÃaz is registered to contend under the Citizen’s Movement (MC) banner to represent Jalisco in the federal Chamber of Deputies. Both have bowed out of their posts for indefinite periods during which their government salaries will be suspended.
The leaves were formally granted by majority vote of the city council during its final session for 2014, held on Friday, December 19.
Empty chairs at the council table were immediately filled by the respective party substitutes named on the 2011 election tickets, with Gustavo Zuñiga Castellanos filling in for Huerta and Alfredo Gutiérrez Guerra replacing DÃaz.
Additional seat shuffling ensued as Sanabria was sworn in to serve as Chapala’s acting chief executive and councilman Octavio Aguirre Curiel was tagged to assume duties as the head legal officer.
Jalisco voters will go to the polls on June 7 of next year to elect new mayors and councilors for 125 municipalities, the next body of 39 state legislators and 29 Jalisco representatives in the 500-seat federal Cámara de Diputados. Political parties will select candidates during the 40-day pre-campaign season running from the last week of December through early February.