In July 2011, the columnist Ricardo Alemán wrote in Excélsior that Elba Esther Gordillo, leader of the teachers’ union, “pactó porciones de poder a cambio de votos” (agreed to portions of power in exchange for votes) in 2006. In his account, President Felipe Calderón paid with the National Lottery, control of ISSSTE, the public employees’ social security institute, and a place in the Ministry of Education.
Gordillo has denied any agreement with Calderón. In 2023, she acknowledged that she had approved the appointment of Miguel Ángel Yunes Linares at ISSSTE. The account of the deal remains the columnist’s claim.