Mexico

New America Media has compiled a summary of the top news in Latin America for 2007, ranging from natural disasters and the election of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner as President of Argentina, to the failure of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to consolidate his power through an electoral referendum. President Calderon of Mexico also made the list for dispatching federal troops to combat drug traffickers within the country. 

For this blog’s summary of 2007 for Mexico, see the Year in Review page.

Director Luis Mandoki’s latest release, “Fraud: Mexico 2006,” opened in Mexico to large audiences, generating interest and controversy. The documentary suggests that Felipe Calderon defeated Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in a fraudulent process that included improprieties at polling places and an unlawful smear campaign against the leftist candidate, Obrador. The film’s pro-Calderon critics dismiss it as propaganda, while Mandoki says he hopes the film “will open our eyes and leave us asking what kind of country do we want, and what are we going to do to achieve it?” (Cambio de Michoacan)

Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard is gaining international attention for his efforts to improve the quality of life in the city. The Mayor has constructed “urban beaches” and recently removed 15,000 vendors from 87 streets in the city center. He has held outdoor movie screenings and closed major roads to traffic on Sundays in order to make room for cyclists and roller skaters. Ebrard is also planning to toughen anti-smoking laws and bring wireless Internet access to the public.

For details, see Mexico City Borrows Ideas from Paris (Christian Science Monitor).

Appearing on CNN to promote his new book, “Revolution of Hope,” former Mexican President Vicente Fox offered his views on a variety of issues including immigration and U.S. politics. Though he did not explicitly endorse Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Fox said that more women need to be elected.

Referring to his post-presidency, Fox said he is following the lead of former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter by investing his time in important issues and building a presidential library to carry on his work.

President Calderon’s bill to reform Mexico’s tax system has been approved by the national Congress. According to the Economist, the new tax laws will increase the government’s non-oil tax revenue from 10% of GDP to 12% by 2012, resulting in an extra $10.3 billion in federal funds next year. 

In order to gain support for his tax proposal, Calderon approved an opposition-inspired bill reforming the electoral process. The new electoral laws shorten the length of presidential campaigns and ban all political advertising except that arranged by the Federal Electoral Institute (FEI) in designated time slots.

For former Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda’s take on all of this, see The Fragile Democracy, which appears in Newsweek.

For additional details, see:

Reforms at Last (Economist)
Key Facts About Mexico’s Tax Reform (Reuters)

Pledging to “transform Mexico,” President Felipe Calderon this weekend delivered his first State of the Union address. He vowed to continue using the military in fighting the drug war and highlighted economic achievements, including the creation of 618,000 jobs since January. The President also advocated reforms in the tax system and election laws, with the hopes of limiting contributions and shortening campaigns. He earned a standing ovation with his criticism of U.S. immigration policy and the treatment of Mexicans in the U.S., for whom he promised to advocate.

For the first time, the State of the Union speech was delivered at the National Palace and not before Congress. Opposition legislators had voted to block Calderon from delivering the speech in Congress. Despite the rumblings of some legislators, particularly in the opposition PRD party, Calderon enjoys a national approval rating of 65% according to a poll conducted by Reforma newspaper.

Photo: President Calderon delivering the State of the Union address (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) 

The Foreign Policy Association’s “Great Decisions” 2007 Fall Update on Mexico can be found here. The update includes a summary of President Calderon’s first six months in office.

The results are in for elections across three states, with a mixed showing for the major parties. 

In Baja California, President Calderon’s National Action Party (PAN) won the governor’s race, four of five mayor’s races, and a majority in the state legislature.  The only candidate of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) to win a mayor’s race was Hugo Torres Chabert in Rosarito Beach.

In the Oaxaca elections, the PRI dominated elections for the state legislature, where it had trailed the Democratic Revolution Party in last year’s national elections.  The PRI also won most of the state legislature and major mayoral races in Aguascalientes, currently governed by the PAN.

National Public Radio (NPR) has a report on the tension that is once again growing in Oaxaca, where leftist groups continue to call for the ouster of the Governor. To listen to the report, “Deep Divisions Remain in Oaxaca,” click here.

The Economist recently profiled Elba Esther Gordillo (”‘The teacher’ holds back the pupils“), the head of Mexico’s National Educational Workers’ Union, Latin America’s largest union with a membership of 1.4 million teachers across the country.  Ms. Gordillo’s political power, due in large part to the size of the teachers’ union, leads the Economist to claim she might be Mexico’s second most powerful leader, after President Calderon. The fact that the teachers’ union is so powerful, however, does not necessarily bode well for the country’s schools. Teachers and school heads, as the article points out, are accountable to union leaders, not the education ministry. The challenge now is whether Calderon and Gordillo are able to work together effectively to achieve the President’s desired educational reforms.