Mexico’s New President
The following is a summary of an article published in the New York Times on Monday Dec. 3rd and written by Randal Archibald and Karla Zabludovsky.
“Enrique Peña Nieto began his six year term onSaturday Dec. 2, 2012 as president of Mexico promising to bring peace and prosperity to his country which has been riddled by drug wars for the past 12 years. Mr. Peña Nieto, 46, has pledged to work closely with the U.S. to strengthen security and economic ties which he believes will bring Mexico closer to a middle class society and reduce the drug war violence.”
The new president unveiled a 13-point agenda focused on domestic goals for crime prevention, lesson poverty and hunger, improve schooling and expand internet access. After 12 years of decentralized government in Mexico, Peña Nieto seems intent on showing that the Mexican state is back and that all of the interest groups in the country will need to respect his authority. “Peña Nieto reasserted the power of the presidency after years of what many Mexican feel has been a fragmented and ineffective government.”
Andrew Selee, director of the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute in Washington said that the new president seemed intent upon reaffirming the power of the state which is the hallmark of his party.
