Mi sugerencia.

Some references:

What is it that is different about the Zapatistas?
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1 Jan 1994 ... The zapatista indigenous communities, through the EZLN, are publicly .... That is what they call "to rule while obeying"("mandar obedeciendo"). ... of those citizens and is willing to give direction through obedience. ...
flag.blackened.net/revolt/.../andrew_diff_feb01.html - En caché - Similares

I was saying that the communities are promoting democracy. But the concept seems vague. There are many kinds of democracy. That’s what I tell them (the Indians). I try to explain to them: You can do that (to solve by consensus) because you have a communal life. When they arrive at an assembly, they know each other, they come to solve a common problem. But in other places it isn’t so, I tell them. People live separate lives and they use the assembly for other things, not to solve the problem. And they say, no, but it means that yes, it works for us. And it indeed works for them, they solve the problem. And they propose that method for the Nation and the world. The world must organize itself thus. That is what they call "to rule while obeying"("mandar obedeciendo").
Resultados de la búsqueda
Yo No Me Callo: The Politics of Tango
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8 Jan 2009 ... Mandar obedeciendo is to command while obeying, to order while yielding, to follow while leading. Mandar obedeciendo can be understood, ...
smashthisscreen.blogspot.com/2009/.../politics-of-tango.html - En caché
Review: Change the World without taking power | Herramienta
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de H Nº - 2009 - Artículos relacionados
And finally, the commanders themselves, according to the logic of mandar obedeciendo (« command while obeying »), obeyed the orders of the villages, ...
www.herramienta.com.ar/.../review-change-world-without-taki... - En caché
Power and Democracy | libcom.org
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... sits uneasily with a system of communal council democracy, reconciled though they are by the principle of mandar obedeciendo (command while obeying). ...
libcom.org/library/power-democracy-john-holloway - En caché

HTH!

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Note added at 26 mins (2010-04-15 00:25:20 GMT)
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www.theunapologeticmexican.org/.../mexico_profundo_oaxaca_s...

But perhaps new words should be invented to express exactly what it means to “command while obeying” [mandar obedeciendo] – that the governed govern. ...
www.nycore.org/PDF/oaxaca/.../oaxaca commune.doc


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Note added at 34 mins (2010-04-15 00:33:37 GMT)
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You can also say: "that the governed govern".

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Note added at 8 mins (2010-04-15 00:07:50 GMT)
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I'm sure the community will come up with other ways to translate this, but your idea of "attending to the will of the people" sounds good.

mandar = to govern (in this context)



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Note added at 28 mins (2010-04-15 00:27:44 GMT)
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Two more options might include:
1) to govern by obeying the will of the people
2) to govern by following the mandate of the people

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Note added at 45 mins (2010-04-15 00:45:04 GMT)
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Since the translation, ideally, should be as brief as the original, my last two suggestions could be shortened accordingly (i.e., "govern by obeying/following (the people)").

I hope this helps :-)

Seems to work as a self-contained slogan that captures the meaning of the original, without being either overly long or requiring parenthentical extension.

Suerte.

It sounds literal, but I thing you should see the following:

Latin American Perspectives - 17:05 - [ Traducir esta página ]
de A Swords - 2007 - Citado por 6 - Artículos relacionados
ment social programs and “rule by obeying”4—or the creation of new .... tural rights, “rule by obeying,” and an end to the military presence in Chiapas. ...
lap.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/34/2/78.pdf

se sobre entiende el ejercicio del poder "to rule"

This is a common phrase in US politics.
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Or, if you do not want to follow the will of the People, step down from office. Thank you. Sincerely,. The Undersigned ...
www.petitiononline.com/USA777/petition.html
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Morning Hour - C-SPAN Video Library
As representatives of the people, I believe that Congress should follow the will of the people and revoke this status. It is high time that we follow the ...
www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/clip.php?appid=596871630 - Cached
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We The People! | Political News | Annuit Coeptis
Mar 20, 2010 ... In refusing the to follow the will of the people they are imposing the will of the elite on the majority. Not the way our government is ...
news-political.com/2010/03/20/we-the-people/