Martha Érika Alonso

Martha Érika Alonso Hidalgo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmaɾta ˈeɾika aˈlonso iˈðalɣo]; 17 December 1973 – 24 December 2018; also called Martha Érika Alonso de Moreno Valle) was a Mexican politician of the National Action Party (PAN) who served as the first female governor of Puebla from 14 December 2018 until her death ten days later in a helicopter crash. She was the spouse of Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas, who was governor of Puebla from 2011 to 2017 and was also killed in the crash.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Alonso and the second or maternal family name is Hidalgo.
Martha Érika Alonso
Governor of Puebla
In office
14 December 2018 – 24 December 2018
Preceded byJosé Antonio Gali Fayad
Succeeded byJesús Rodríguez Almeida
First Lady of Puebla
In role
1 February 2011 – 30 February 2017
GovernorRafael Moreno Valle Rosas
Preceded byMargarita García
Succeeded byAlma Dinorah López Gargallo
Personal details
Born
Martha Érika Alonso

(1973-12-17)17 December 1973
Puebla
Died24 December 2018(2018-12-24) (aged 45)
Santa María Coronango, Puebla
Political partyNational Action Party
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 2004)​

Life

Born on 17 December 1973,[1] Martha Érika Alonso Hidalgo attended the Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla, where she studied graphic design, and the Universidad de las Américas Puebla, from which she graduated with a master's degree in public communication. She married Moreno Valle in 2004.[2]

In 2009, she became an active member of the PAN, and from 2011 to 2016, coinciding with most of her husband's tenure as governor, she presided over the foundation for the Puebla State DIF System.[2] The DIF received more money during Alonso's leadership than it had in the preceding two state governments.[3] In 2015, she became the state party's secretary general, holding its second-ranking position.[2] Her education and professional experience lent her additional respect, leading to her being recognized as one of the most powerful first ladies in Puebla history.[3]

Gubernatorial candidacy

In 2018, Alonso ran for Governor of Puebla—her first campaign for elected office[4]—backed by the Por Puebla al Frente coalition, which included the PAN, Party of the Democratic Revolution, Movimiento Ciudadano, and two state parties (Compromiso por Puebla and Pacto Social de Integración). The PAN and the state parties had supported Moreno Valle's 2011 gubernatorial bid. She allegedly was picked for the nomination because PAN internal polling showed her as being a stronger candidate than the mayor of Puebla, Eduardo Rivera Pérez.[4]

During the campaign, Alonso sought to distance herself from her husband, who did not appear at promotional events; she also did not use her husband's last name (Martha Érika Alonso de Moreno Valle), as she had while running the Puebla DIF.[5] However, several staffers from Moreno Valle's campaign and government joined Alonso's team, including the former state press secretary and former state legislators, and state political experts pointed out her use of similar strategies to Moreno Valle's campaign.[5]

Alonso won the election, defeating Miguel Barbosa Huerta on the Juntos Haremos Historia coalition ticket and two other candidates, on 1 July 2018, as first female governor of Puebla and the seventh nationwide.[6]

Death
Main article: 2018 Puebla helicopter crash

On 24 December 2018, a helicopter carrying Alonso, Rafael Moreno Valle and other PAN politicians from the state crashed in a field near the town of Santa María Coronango,[7] half an hour from the city of Puebla, killing all. In a tweet, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador indicated that Alonso and Moreno Valle were on the downed aircraft;[8][9] she had been governor for ten days.

A 27 March 2020 report by Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (SCT) concluded that the helicopter “should not have flown” because of a preexisting problem with a stability system on the helicopter that both the operator and the maintenance crew knew about.[10]

References
  1. Núñez, Efraín (11 March 2018). "Lanzan partidos a 5 candidatos por la gubernatura de Puebla". e-consulta. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  2. "Martha Erika Alonso de Moreno Valle". Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  3. Alcauter, Brando (22 September 2016). "Quién es la esposa de Rafael Moreno Valle". Cuna de Grillos. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  4. MTP Noticias (28 April 2018). "#Perfiles: Ellos son los 5 candidatos que disputan la gubernatura de Puebla". Huffington Post México. Archived from the original on 3 July 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  5. Ayala Martínez, Aranzazú (3 May 2018). "Exfuncionarios de Moreno Valle, en la campaña de su esposa Erika Alonso por la gubernatura en Puebla". Animal Político. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  6. Domínguez, Elena (2 July 2018). "Martha Erika, la primera mujer que se perfila para gobernar Puebla". Milenio. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  7. "Se estrella avioneta en Puebla en pleno 24 de diciembre". El Sol de Puebla. 24 December 2018. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  8. "Martha Erika y Rafael Moreno Valle irían en aeronave caída: AMLO". E-Consulta. 24 December 2018. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  9. "Mexico's Puebla governor Martha Erika Alonso dies in helicopter crash". BBC News. 25 December 2018.
  10. "Malfunction caused copter crash that killed Mexico governor". Associated Press. 27 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
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