Yeidckol Polevnsky Gurwitz

Yeidckol Polevnsky Gurwitz (born January 25, 1958 in Mexico City as Citlali Ibáñez Camacho) is a Mexican entrepreneur and current Senator. In 2005 she was nominated by the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) as the State of México governor candidate. She lost to Enrique Peña Nieto of the PRI.

When Polevnsky was a child, her mother changed the names of both of them so that Yeidckol's father wouldn't be able to trace and find them after a bitter family dispute. She studied psychology at the Universidad Anáhuac in Mexico City. She has served various positions inside the Cámara Nacional de la Industria de la Transformación ("CANACINTRA"), including a period in 2002 as first woman president.

In the 2006 general election she supported the presidential campaign of Andrés Manuel López Obrador and was elected to the Senate, representing the state of México for the PRD.

Controversy over conflict of interest

In November 2010, according to the Mexico City's El Universal newspaper, she was embroiled on a scandal after a controversial vote on the upper chamber which favored tobacco companies, since her daughter works for one of the largest.

In the incident, Senator Polevnsky voted against the legislative reform to increase cigarette prices, and therefore in favor of tobacco companies. It was later revealed that her daughter—Shirley Camacho Almaguer—worked as manager of External Communications Mexico for British American Tobacco (BAT), a Mexican-British company responsible for the Mexican operations of the Kent, Camel, Dunhill Viceroy, Lucky Strike, Raleigh, Alas and Montana brands. She denied any wrongdoing, allegedly responding that her vote had nothing to do with her daughter's job. On the contrary, she said that having been leader of the Mexican National Chamber of Industry, she could understand the uncertainty experienced by industry. Polevnsky insisted on denying any conflict of interest. "Her work does not influence my work," referring to both her job and of her sibling.

See also

• México state election, 2005