Por y para México: Por un México Triunfador

Calderon sworn-in as Mexican president

April Lindgren, CanWest News Service and Associated Press
The Montreal Star. Published: Friday, December 01, 2006

MEXICO CITY - After weeks of uncertainty, Mexico's new president was sworn into office Friday without major disruption in the national congress.
Felipe Calderon accepted the presidential sash before Mexican lawmakers and international dignitaries including Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
The ceremony lasted only minutes and was without incident, despite a melee that took place just two hours earlier.
The shoving and fistfights pitted lawmakers supporting calderon and those supporting Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who last summer lost the presidential race by less than one per cent of the vote.
Lopez Obrador, who insists he was a victim of fraud, declared himself president earlier this fall and has continued to campaign against Calderon using mass street protests.
Earlier this week his supporters in the congress fought with Calderon supporters for control of the platform in the house of representatives that is used for the swearing-in ceremony. Both sides claimed space on the platform Tuesday and refused to move.
Lopez Obrador spoke to thousand of supporters in Mexico's central square early this morning.
In a live broadcast from the presidential residence of Los Pinos - where outgoing President Vicente Fox handed over his presidential sash as his term ended at midnight - Calderon called on Mexicans to leave behind the divisions that have dogged him and the country since the disputed July 2 elections.
"I have received the presidential offices from President Vicente Fox, the start of the process of taking possession of the presidency," Calderon said. "Later, I will appear before Congress to take the constitutional oath."
"I am not unaware of the complexity of the political times we are living through, nor of our differences," he said. "But I am convinced that we today we should put an end to our disagreements and from there, start a new stage whose only aim would be to place the interests of the nation above our differences."
In what a voice-over narration called "a symbolic ceremony," Fox handed the badge of office - a sash - to a military officer; Calderon must receive it later Friday when he takes the oath.
Absent from the closed-door ceremony were the angry protesters who have pledged to block the inauguration, but former leftist presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador - who claims Calderon used fraud to win the July 2 elections - had already called on supporters to meet early Friday in Mexico City's main square.
While demonstrators were unlikely to reach Congress - its perimeter was ringed by police and presidential guards - conditions inside the building were probably much more worrisome for Calderon.
Legislators of Lopez Obrador's Democratic Revolution Party, the PRD, had battled ruling party legislators - often with wrestling moves and shoving - for control of parts of the podium, then staked out their territory by camping out with blankets and pillows for three days, in a bid to block the ceremony.
© CanWest News Service and Associated Press 2006

Los Angeles Times EDITORIALS
Mexico's new day
Incoming President Felipe Calderon can make his mark by taking on entrenched business elites.
December 1, 2006


VICENTE FOX exits the stage today in Mexico, handing over the presidency to 44-year-old Felipe Calderon. The two men hail from the same conservative party (the National Action Party, or PAN), but Calderon's inauguration takes place against a backdrop radically different from Fox's swearing-in six years ago. Calderon seems immeasurably weaker than Fox was when he vanquished the long-dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, in 2000. But that may be as much an opportunity as a hindrance.

Fox, though still personally popular, has been an ineffective, lame-duck president for so long it is easy to forget his rock-star status — not just at home but around the globe — on first taking office. Expectations in Mexico were so high then that even leftist intellectuals flocked to his side.

His successor takes office under far less auspicious circumstances. Indeed, there is some question about whether he will be able to be sworn in as customary in the Congress. Leftist legislators still grousing (absurdly) that fraud accounts for Calderon's narrow victory at the polls are vowing to block the path to the podium.

Calderon has nowhere to go but up, just as Fox had nowhere to go but down. There is a recent precedent in Mexico of a president who needed to legitimize himself in office — Carlos Salinas de Gortari — taking bold risks. Salinas, a member of the PRI, shocked Mexico by taking on the powerful oil workers' union and making peace with the Roman Catholic Church.

Calderon could show his boldness by taking on his backers in the business community. There has been a lot of nonsensical talk since the July 2 election about the need for the new president to borrow some of the ideas of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the leftist former mayor of Mexico City who lost the election by less than a percentage point. That would be a mistake.

Mexico needs to spend more on welfare programs, sure, but overall it needs freer markets, not a return to the days of heavy-handed government control of the economy (Lopez Obrador's vision). And in order to create more economic freedom and stimulate growth, Calderon needs to break up the monopolies and duopolies that enrich the elites (the Telmex behemoth in telecommunications is Exhibit A) and act as a brake on growth.

Calderon will have to become an avid trust-buster if he is to succeed in office. He'd be taking on powerful interests, but the move could also help him broaden his base of support. A technocratic political insider who surrounds himself with hard-core conservative advisors, Calderon has plenty of other challenges, including rising drug-trafficking violence nationwide. But if he makes progress in standing up to big business and in restoring the rule of law, he could someday attain rock-star status of his own.

Felipe Calderón llama al diálogo

‘Les pido que me permitan ganarme con hechos su confianza’, dice a opositores

Francisco Robles Nava
Corresponsal de La Opinión
2 de diciembre de 2006

MÉXICO, D.F.— El presidente constitucional de México, Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, en su primer mensaje a la nación, convocó a un diálogo con todas las fuerzas políticas del país para privilegiar la paz social y el desarrollo económico de los mexicanos.

"Reitero formalmente mi invitación a un diálogo con todas las fuerzas políticas. Por el bien de México, este diálogo no puede esperar", exhortó el primer mandatario de la nación.
Ante cientos de invitados especiales a su toma de posesión, en un evento efectuado en el Auditorio Nacional, tras rendir protesta en el Congreso en un ambiente incómodo, comentó que sostendrá comunicación "con quien esté dispuesto a dialogar". Y añadió: "Construiré con quien quiera construir"; pero advirtió: "Siempre sabré gobernar para todos".
La multitud congregada en el Auditorio —entre jefes de Estado, diplomáticos extranjeros, gobernantes, líderes empresariales, jerarcas católicos y representantes de organizaciones civiles— reaccionó poniéndose de pie y tributándole al orador un nutrido aplauso.
Calderón Hinojosa planteó entonces: "Si hay que cambiar las reglas, cambiemos las reglas; hagámoslo para adecuarlas a los nuevos tiempos que vivimos". Y garantizó que él estará siempre en disposición para "fortalecer la democracia y abrir caminos diferentes para entendernos, tomar decisiones y resolver los conflictos".
Hizo hincapié en que más que los intereses de grupo, hay "una ciudadanía decidida a trabajar, que lo hace todos los días al buscar el sustento para su familia", por lo que "con ellos y por ellos, con los ciudadanos y por los ciudadanos vamos a trabajar".
Aclaró que la solución a los problemas debe buscarse por "la vía de la paz y de la legalidad, dentro del marco de las leyes e instituciones que nos hemos dado los mexicanos y no fuera de él". Ello, porque, en su opinión, la política no es una batalla en la que "un partido gana y otro pierde", sino la colaboración entre "partidos, poderes y ciudadanos para mejorar las condiciones de vida de la gente".
Dijo estar agradecido del voto de "los mexicanos, sin excepción, que confiaron en la democracia". Y a quienes votaron por él les ofreció: "Sabré cumplir con su mandato".
A quienes votaron por otras opciones, Calderón Hinojosa les prometió: "No ignoraré las razones ni las causas de su voto, y les pido que me permitan ganarme con hechos su confianza".
Calderón Hinojosa consideró que "México vive momentos de tensión entre las principales fuerzas políticas". Recalcó que está consciente de la "seriedad de nuestros distanciamientos", y que asume "plenamente la responsabilidad que me corresponde para resolverlos y reunificar a México".
Dijo que en su gobierno el fin central consistirá en que "las instituciones públicas sirvan a los ciudadanos para que vivamos mejor".
Luego del llamado al diálogo, el presidente de México explicó el proyecto de su gobierno. Reconoció que en la actualidad "la delincuencia pretende atemorizar e inmovilizar a la sociedad y al gobierno", convirtiéndose en "el principal problema en estados, ciudades y regiones enteras".
Una de las tres prioridades de su administración, informó, "es precisamente la lucha por recuperar la seguridad pública y la legalidad". En este esfuerzo adelantó que las corporaciones responsables de la seguridad pública requieren "transformaciones profundas para incrementar sustancialmente su eficacia".
Anotó que los resultados que estas instituciones deberán entregar a la población son "vitales para recuperar la fortaleza del Estado y la convivencia social", y garantizar "espacios públicos para nuestros hijos y no territorio para los delincuentes, no impunidad, no abuso de los poderosos, justicia para todos".
Por lo anterior, Calderón instruyó al gabinete de seguridad a que "en un plazo no mayor de 90 días presente un programa para renovar los mecanismos de procuración e impartición de justicia; para ordenar, depurar y fortalecer nuestros cuerpos policiacos; para crear un sistema único de información criminal que nos permita poner los más sofisticados avances tecnológicos a la defensa de nuestras familias".
Admitió que el restablecer la seguridad no será fácil ni rápido: "Tomará tiempo, costará mucho dinero incluso y, por desgracia, vidas humanas". Pero aseguró: "Ésta es una batalla en la que yo estaré al frente, es una batalla que tendremos que librar y que unidos los mexicanos vamos a ganar a la delincuencia".
El Presidente aceptó estar consciente de "la dramática condición de pobreza en la que vive la mitad de la población mexicana", y reiteró que México tiene "una enorme deuda social que pagar con los mexicanos más pobres".
Para cubrir ese grave endeudamiento, calificó de "vital que sociedad y autoridades hagamos un esfuerzo mayor para orientar el gasto público hacia los que más lo necesitan". Se comprometió también a resolver "de fondo la desigualdad de los mexicanos, particularmente entre el norte y el sur, entre el campo y la ciudad, entre los indígenas y quienes no lo son, entre las mujeres y los hombres, entre los adultos mayores y los jóvenes".
Resaltó que para fortalecer la política social debe ser cambiada en dos sentidos: "Primero, dotarla de más recursos para que quienes menos tienen puedan ejercer sus derechos sociales y puedan tener una vida acorde con su dignidad; y segundo, utilicemos mejor los recursos de los mexicanos".
Por tanto, el nuevo jefe del Ejecutivo instruyó a todos los miembros del gabinete social a "mantener, perfeccionar e intensificar los programas sociales que han sido eficaces en combatir la pobreza. Esto es ampliar el programa de Oportunidades, el Seguro Popular y las Becas Escolares, y revisar con objetividad aquellas políticas que sólo distraen recursos que no contribuyen a combatir la pobreza".
Calderón Hinojosa hizo ver que para ello es indispensable lograr tasas de crecimiento económico que "permitan elevar el ingreso de los mexicanos y sobre todo crear los empleos que tanta falta nos hacen". Dijo que sus prioridades serán "seguridad, superación de la pobreza extrema y creación de empleos".
Lamentó Calderón que la migración a Estados Unidos "sigue dividiendo a nuestras familias". Por ello, dijo desear que "en lugar de que salga la mano de obra a buscar la inversión a Estados Unidos, mejor que venga la inversión a donde está nuestra mano de obra, y que no se dividan más nuestras familias y comunidades".
Para generar los empleos necesarios, agregó: "Es indispensable remover los obstáculos que impiden a las empresas y a la economía en su conjunto crecer más y más rápido". De tal manera que, opinó, se requieren "cambios importantes en la política económica", empezando por orientarla hacia "la competitividad".
El Presidente estableció que si "nuestros trabajadores, campesinos y empresas tienen que competir con el mundo, que lo hagan en condiciones de igualdad". Y anticipó que si esto se materializa, "podremos hacer que las inversiones y los empleos que se generen en los próximos años se concreten aquí en México y no en Asia, Europa o cualquier otra parte. México tiene todo para que reciba inversión y genere empleo para su gente".
Confirmó que para estimular el desarrollo económico, hará que "el mercado interno sea motor de crecimiento", y adelantó que impulsará el turismo y la infraestructura para "aprovechar nuestra privilegiada posición geográfica y las enormes riquezas naturales y culturales".
Un tercer cambio, mencionó, es "facilitarle la vida a las micro, pequeñas y medianas empresas porque son las que generan más empleo para los mexicanos".
En esencia, y tras instruir a su gabinete económico para que el mes próximo presente un plan de desarrollo económico, Calderón Hinojosa recordó: "Me propuse y seré el presidente del empleo en México".

New President Takes Helm of Divided Mexico
Calderón Sworn In As Opponents Jeer
By Lorraine Orlandi
Special to The Washington Post
The Washington Post. Saturday, December 2, 2006; Page A08
MEXICO CITY, Dec. 1 -- Felipe Calderón, a free-trade booster and career politician, was sworn in as president of Mexico on Friday in a ceremony undercut by lawmakers' jeers and fisticuffs, a chaotic scene that reflected the country's deep political and economic divisions.
Calderón, 44, slipped through a side door into the congressional chamber to recite the oath of office, as opposition legislators made a final push to barricade the entrances and block his inauguration. Moments earlier, rival lawmakers had brawled briefly on the assembly's floor, shoving each other and throwing chairs
The perfunctory ceremony lasted less than five minutes and was nearly drowned out by whistling and catcalls from opponents who said Calderón had stolen the July election through fraud.
It was an unprecedented departure from the typical somber pageantry of Mexico's transfer of power and a long way from the mass euphoria that greeted Vicente Fox's 2000 election victory, which ended 71 years of single-party rule. It was also an indication of the challenges that await Calderón.
In a speech at the National Auditorium a few hours after the inauguration, the new president acknowledged the turmoil, but he also called on rivals to put aside political differences.
"To those who voted for other political options, I say I will not ignore the reasons behind your vote, and I ask you to let me win your confidence through action," he said, speaking from the vast stage where he was briefly joined by his wife and three young children.
"Clearly, Mexico is living through tense times. . . . I am aware of the seriousness of our differences and take full responsibility to solve them and reunite Mexico."
Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the popular former mayor of Mexico City who lost the election to Calderón, has declared himself the "legitimate" president. He mobilized mass street protests that paralyzed the city center for weeks after the election. On Friday, he led a march against Calderón through the capital's downtown and pledged to "defend democracy."
"We will not accept a democratic farce," he told cheering supporters.
Calderón, of the National Action Party, won the election by less than one percentage point. The nation's top electoral court found no evidence to support allegations of widespread fraud and rejected López Obrador's calls for a vote-by-vote recount, instead certifying Calderón the winner after a recount of about 9 percent of returns.
That left a bitter taste among some Mexican voters, especially those disappointed with Fox's failure to close the gap between rich and poor, rein in rampant drug-related violence and street crime, and create new jobs in a nation where 40 percent of the population lives in poverty.
Such social inequalities have recently helped feed unrest in parts of the country. Violent protests in the historic southern city of Oaxaca have claimed several lives in the past few months and left the tourist center damaged. A handful of bombs apparently placed by groups sympathetic to the Oaxaca protesters exploded across Mexico City recently. And a turf war among drug gangs has produced gory headlines daily.
"Fox is bequeathing to Calderón a country without government," said Homero Aridjis, a 66-year-old poet, commentator and environmentalist who attended Calderón's speech.
"The political parties are in a pitched battle, it's like lucha libre," or freestyle wrestling, said Aridjis. "In Oaxaca, a historic city has been ruined by negligence and social and labor unrest. We have drug executions daily. At breakfast you read in the paper how many people were killed today."



Calderón pledged to fight crime with an overhaul of the police and the justice system, to combat poverty and to repay Mexico's "enormous debt to the poor" with more, and more efficient, social spending. He also promised to create jobs and attract investment to stem illegal migration.
He has used strong language to denounce Washington's plan to extend a wall along the border to stop illegal immigrants, but he has said he believes there is "room for improvement" on immigration and other bilateral issues after Democratic gains in the U.S. Congress.
In perhaps his most dramatic gesture and one that echoed López Obrador's calls for government austerity, Calderón on Friday promised to immediately slash salaries of the president and high-ranking officials and asked Congress to review the pay scales for all public officials.
Fox's 2006 salary was 2.7 million pesos, or about $245,000. In Peru, a similar gesture by center-left President Alan Garcia boosted his approval ratings soon after he took office in July.
Like Fox, Calderón will face a divided Congress. His party holds the largest voting bloc, but López Obrador's Democratic Revolutionary Party, or PRD, makes up the second-largest force.
Among Calderón's first challenges may be confronting Mexico's privileged business elite -- seen by many as the pillar of his support base but which benefits from tax and regulatory breaks that economists say squeeze ordinary Mexicans with high prices for basic services.
"Mexican capitalists, the big ones, were protected by the old PRI system, and Fox didn't touch that," said Marifeli Pérez-Stable, an analyst with the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue, referring to the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which lost power in 2000.
Rogelio Ramírez de la O, an economist who advised López Obrador's campaign, said Calderón must take on the oligarchy where Mexico's wealth is concentrated, as well as corrupt unions and vested interests at state-owned oil monopoly Pemex.
"If he presents himself like Teddy Roosevelt going up against the robber barons, that would be a sign that would create a positive environment," he said. "But if he doesn't govern for the other half of Mexico, then Mexico will be increasingly partitioned."
Tens of thousands of anti-Calderón protesters gathered in Mexico City's central plaza on Friday to voice their displeasure with the inauguration. Among them was Lilia Gomez, a 42-year-old housewife from the southern state of Veracruz who took not a little joy in seeing Calderón have to squirrel himself into Congress.
"He never thought he would have to go in the back door," she said.

Afirma la nueva titular de la Secretaría de Educación Pública que ese sector será una de las prioridades del gobierno del presidente Felipe Calderón

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Notimex
El Universal
Ciudad de México
Viernes 01 de diciembre de 2006

19:32 Al tomar posesión como titular de la Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP), Josefina Vázquez Mota afirmó que ese sector será una de las prioridades del gobierno del presidente Felipe Calderón Hinojosa.
Durante la ceremonia, la nueva funcionaria aseguró que en todo momento se respetará la esencia del Artículo Tercero constitucional y se trabajará con apego a la ley.

Sostuvo que la calidad en la educación es una urgencia y exigencia de millones de mexicanos, y expresó que la tarea de educar también está ligada a la libertad.

Vázquez Mota expuso que cada rezago educativo también es un rezago en la aplicación de ese derecho, y por ello aseguró que una apuesta a la educación es una apuesta a la libertad.

La ex titular de la Secretaría de Desarrollo Social (Sedesol) convocó a la clase política a tomar decisiones de alta responsabilidad, pues consideró que el reto va desde el combate a la pobreza hasta el impulso de la competitividad, en el que la educación juega un papel fundamental.

Asimismo, convocó al magisterio, a los padres de familia y a los involucrados en las tareas educativas a crear un espacio de pluralidad, donde se debatan las ideas por un proyecto común.

Precisó que el gobierno de Calderón Hinojosa impulsará la calidad educativa, donde se han hecho esfuerzos significativos en los últimos años, y también tendrá como prioridad la equidad y la inclusión en el sistema público.

La funcionaria federal agregó que la rendición de cuentas también será un pilar de la actuación de los servidores públicos de la dependencia, donde también se llevarán a cabo intensas acciones de evaluación.

Afirmó que la entrega-recepción de la SEP se llevó a cabo en los términos de la ley, de manera profesional y con una amplia disposición de su antecesor Reyes Tamez Guerra.

gdh / jcm
http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/391534.html