New York Times: In December 2014, President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico traveled to the state of Guerrero, where months earlier 43 college students who were headed to a protest in Mexico City had vanished under murky circumstances and were presumed to have been massacred.
“Let’s overcome this phase and take a step forward,” Mr. Peña Nieto said then. He must have been deluded in thinking that he could turn the page on a human rights atrocity that outraged the nation when the government had no answers about who committed the crime and why. Read more.
The MexicoBlog of the CIP Americas Program monitors and analyzes international press on Mexico with a focus on the US-backed War on Drugs in Mexico and the struggle in Mexico to strengthen the rule of law, justice and protection of human rights. Relevant political developments in both countries are also covered.
Showing posts with label Enrique Peña Nieto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Enrique Peña Nieto. Show all posts
Apr 27, 2016
Jan 14, 2016
"El Chapo" re-arrested in Mexico
CBS/AP: Responding to what was seen as one of the biggest embarrassments of his administration - Guzman's July 11 escape through a tunnel from Mexico's highest-security prison - Pena Nieto wrote in his Twitter account on Friday: "mission accomplished: we have him."
Benjamin Bergman, a spokesman for the Mexican marines, said El Chapo was rearrested after a shootout with Mexican marines in the city of Los Mochis, in Guzman's home state of Sinaloa early Friday. He said Guzman was in "good condition."
Five people have been killed and one Mexican marine wounded in the clash. The Mexican Navy said in a statement that marines acting on a tip raided a home in the town of Los Mochis before dawn. They were fired on from inside the structure. Five suspects were killed and six others arrested. The marine's injuries were not life threatening. Read more.
Benjamin Bergman, a spokesman for the Mexican marines, said El Chapo was rearrested after a shootout with Mexican marines in the city of Los Mochis, in Guzman's home state of Sinaloa early Friday. He said Guzman was in "good condition."
Five people have been killed and one Mexican marine wounded in the clash. The Mexican Navy said in a statement that marines acting on a tip raided a home in the town of Los Mochis before dawn. They were fired on from inside the structure. Five suspects were killed and six others arrested. The marine's injuries were not life threatening. Read more.
Sep 3, 2015
Declining Ratings for Mexico’s Peña Nieto
Pew Research Center: Three years after being elected president, Mexico’s Enrique Peña Nieto is increasingly unpopular. Following a year plagued by scandal and controversy, his ratings have fallen, and Mexicans have grown disappointed with key elements of his ambitious agenda.
A new Pew Research Center survey of Mexico finds 44% of the public expressing a favorable view of Peña Nieto, down from 51% in 2014. Read more.
A new Pew Research Center survey of Mexico finds 44% of the public expressing a favorable view of Peña Nieto, down from 51% in 2014. Read more.
Aug 6, 2015
Deals Flow to Contractor Tied to Mexican President
NYTimes: Armando García has filed lawsuits, joined protests and gotten arrested trying to stop a highway from slicing through his hilly backyard in a nature reserve.
But even with a court order on his side, bright green pines have been stripped away and tree stumps dot the hillside. Parts of protected forest have been slashed, exposing the path of a 20-mile highway to the new airport in Mexico City that is demolishing swaths of Mr. García’s indigenous community in its wake. Read more.
But even with a court order on his side, bright green pines have been stripped away and tree stumps dot the hillside. Parts of protected forest have been slashed, exposing the path of a 20-mile highway to the new airport in Mexico City that is demolishing swaths of Mr. García’s indigenous community in its wake. Read more.
May 8, 2015
Violence haunts Mexico's election campaign
AFP: One murdered candidate, others threatened, bodyguards assigned to gubernatorial wannabes and calls for a boycott: The June election campaign in Mexico's Wild West is off to a rough start.
The June 7 mid-term vote for federal and state seats will be the first major ballot test for President Enrique Pena Nieto, almost half-way through his six-year term. Read more.
The June 7 mid-term vote for federal and state seats will be the first major ballot test for President Enrique Pena Nieto, almost half-way through his six-year term. Read more.
Feb 7, 2015
The Mexican morass
Note: This editorial by The Economist has caused waves in Mexico. It's a very strong condemnation of the Peña Nieto administration, combining the deteriorating security situation, especially the case of Ayotzinapa, and the corruption scandals of conflict of interest. Here in Mexico, Peña nieto gained few points with his commitment to be investigated by a hand-picked investigator.
The Economist: In a new year message Mexico’s president, Enrique Peña Nieto, promised to work to “liberate” his country from crime, corruption and impunity. His cabinet has duly set these as its priorities. The message is the right one. But unfortunately for Mr Peña, Mexicans are increasingly cynical about the messenger.
Mexico is still seething over the government’s leaden response to the kidnap in September of 43 students by municipal police in the south-western state of Guerrero and their apparent murder by drug traffickers. The investigation of the case seems to have stalled. Mr Peña’s main policy response to the massacre is a proposed constitutional amendment to abolish municipal police forces. But Congress may not approve it, not least because some are less rotten than the state forces, which would take their place. Read more.
The Economist: In a new year message Mexico’s president, Enrique Peña Nieto, promised to work to “liberate” his country from crime, corruption and impunity. His cabinet has duly set these as its priorities. The message is the right one. But unfortunately for Mr Peña, Mexicans are increasingly cynical about the messenger.
Mexico is still seething over the government’s leaden response to the kidnap in September of 43 students by municipal police in the south-western state of Guerrero and their apparent murder by drug traffickers. The investigation of the case seems to have stalled. Mr Peña’s main policy response to the massacre is a proposed constitutional amendment to abolish municipal police forces. But Congress may not approve it, not least because some are less rotten than the state forces, which would take their place. Read more.
Feb 3, 2015
Commission: Mexico has 'serious problem' with disappearances
AP: Mexico has a "serious problem" with disappearances and lacks a comprehensive national list of the missing to effectively deal with the problem, according to a report the country's National Human Rights Commission will present Monday to the U.N.
Commission chairman Luis Raul Gonzalez Perez will ask the United Nations Committee On Enforced Disappearances in Geneva to make several recommendations to Mexico's government on the issue, said the document, which The Associated Press was allowed to see. Read more.
Commission chairman Luis Raul Gonzalez Perez will ask the United Nations Committee On Enforced Disappearances in Geneva to make several recommendations to Mexico's government on the issue, said the document, which The Associated Press was allowed to see. Read more.
Jan 23, 2015
Harper postpones Three Amigos summit amid chilly relations with U.S. and Mexico
The Globe And Mail: Prime Minister Stephen Harper has postponed the North American leaders’ summit with U.S. President Barack Obama and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto at a time when relations with both leaders are chilly.
The unexpected move allows Mr. Harper to avoid an awkward side-by-side news conference with Mr. Obama at a February summit that all three governments were expecting would be dominated by the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline – now at the top of the political agenda in Washington. Read more.
The unexpected move allows Mr. Harper to avoid an awkward side-by-side news conference with Mr. Obama at a February summit that all three governments were expecting would be dominated by the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline – now at the top of the political agenda in Washington. Read more.
Jan 21, 2015
Mexico’s Pena Nieto Bought Home From Government Contractor: WSJ
NOTE: The Wall Street Journal digs up another Peña Nieto conflict of interest case, concerning another residence linked to a favored contractor. This makes four now that are in some way under investigation, including Videgaray's. In Mexico we know that these cases are almost certainly a very small part of the corruption (remember that his mentor, Carlos Salinas de Gotari managed a $1,350 million- pesos discretionary fund and his brother Raúl bought 41 properties as a government employee in his brother's adminisitration. Here is a good summary of the accusations).
I find it interesting that the Wall Street Journal is doing this kind of investigative reporting in Mexico. Several weeks ago I spoke with Rubén Luengas of the excellent Univisión radio show "Hablando Claro" about this. It seems that there is a powerful part of the U.S. international business class that would like to see Peña Nieto out of the way during the implementation of the reforms that he got passed in the country. The WSJ, Bloomberg (below), Forbes and others have been openly picking up the Ayotzinapa movement's calls for Peñá's resignation. That's some strange bedfellows that can't help but make one wonder what is afoot. It's possible that transnational companies are afraid that the traditional and ever more evident corruption of the PRI is bad for business.
They seem to take the implicit position that corruption is fine when applied to the Mexican people through vote-buying and election-rigging. And it's fine when major companies like Walmart use bribes as a business lubricant. But the possibility that the government will syphon off some of the potential earnings of the long-awaited exploitation of Mexico's natural resource is more than they can handle.
Bloomberg: Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto in 2005 bought a property from a developer whose construction firm went on to win almost $150 million in public works contracts during his time in public office, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Pena Nieto, 48, bought the weekend home in an exclusive golf club in Ixtapan de la Sal, a resort town in the State of Mexico, from Roberto San Roman weeks after taking office, the newspaper reported, citing documents. A company San Roman started then won $107 million in business from the state when Pena Nieto was governor from 2005 to 2011, the Journal said. Read more.
I find it interesting that the Wall Street Journal is doing this kind of investigative reporting in Mexico. Several weeks ago I spoke with Rubén Luengas of the excellent Univisión radio show "Hablando Claro" about this. It seems that there is a powerful part of the U.S. international business class that would like to see Peña Nieto out of the way during the implementation of the reforms that he got passed in the country. The WSJ, Bloomberg (below), Forbes and others have been openly picking up the Ayotzinapa movement's calls for Peñá's resignation. That's some strange bedfellows that can't help but make one wonder what is afoot. It's possible that transnational companies are afraid that the traditional and ever more evident corruption of the PRI is bad for business.
They seem to take the implicit position that corruption is fine when applied to the Mexican people through vote-buying and election-rigging. And it's fine when major companies like Walmart use bribes as a business lubricant. But the possibility that the government will syphon off some of the potential earnings of the long-awaited exploitation of Mexico's natural resource is more than they can handle.
Bloomberg: Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto in 2005 bought a property from a developer whose construction firm went on to win almost $150 million in public works contracts during his time in public office, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Pena Nieto, 48, bought the weekend home in an exclusive golf club in Ixtapan de la Sal, a resort town in the State of Mexico, from Roberto San Roman weeks after taking office, the newspaper reported, citing documents. A company San Roman started then won $107 million in business from the state when Pena Nieto was governor from 2005 to 2011, the Journal said. Read more.
In Mexico, History Is Repeating Itself
Business Week: When Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto visited President Obama on Jan. 6, hundreds of Mexican Americans demonstrated outside the White House. Hundreds more picketed at Mexican consulates across the U.S. It was an unusual display of solidarity with Mexicans south of the border, who have taken to the streets almost daily since September—when 43 college students were massacred by narco-gangsters—to denounce corruption and violence in their country.
Peña Nieto’s approval rating, which hovered above 60 percent two years ago, has plummeted into the 30s as marchers call for his resignation. That’s a dramatic fall considering how ardently U.S. and international boosters lionized him when he took office in December 2012. Then, it seemed like every financial gazette on the planet was declaring Peña Nieto’s Mexico “the Aztec Tiger.” New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman said it was poised to become a “more dominant economic power in the 21st century” than China. Read more.
Peña Nieto’s approval rating, which hovered above 60 percent two years ago, has plummeted into the 30s as marchers call for his resignation. That’s a dramatic fall considering how ardently U.S. and international boosters lionized him when he took office in December 2012. Then, it seemed like every financial gazette on the planet was declaring Peña Nieto’s Mexico “the Aztec Tiger.” New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman said it was poised to become a “more dominant economic power in the 21st century” than China. Read more.
Dec 17, 2014
In 2014, missing students buried 'Mexico's Moment'
AFP: Mexico finally seemed poised to write the drug war's final chapter this year -- the world's most wanted cartel kingpin was captured, homicides fell and the world hailed economic reforms.
"Everything was working like clockwork. Everything was in place. It will no longer be like this," Lorenzo Meyer, one of Mexico's most prominent historians, told AFP. But the apparent massacre of dozens of students buried "Mexico's Moment," sparking nationwide protests and triggering the biggest crisis of President Enrique Pena Nieto's two-year-old administration. Read more.
Dec 14, 2014
Mexico Among The World's Most Corrupt Nations In 2014, New Report Says
Forbes: With allegations of corruption in government, politics, business and banking emerging throughout the year, corruption was one of the most pervasive issues in Mexico in 2014. It came as no surprise, therefore, that the country scored worse than previously in the year-end corruption perceptions report by Transparency International released December 3rd.
With a score of 35 on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean), Mexico ranked 103 among 175 countries in the group’s Corruption Perceptions Index, which ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. The best-ranked country is Denmark and the worst is Somalia. Among the 31 countries of the Americas addressed in the survey, ten ranked lower than Mexico: Argentina, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Haiti and Venezuela. Canada ranked highest and Venezuela lowest. Mexico is also ranked the most corrupt among the OECD countries. Read more.
With a score of 35 on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean), Mexico ranked 103 among 175 countries in the group’s Corruption Perceptions Index, which ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. The best-ranked country is Denmark and the worst is Somalia. Among the 31 countries of the Americas addressed in the survey, ten ranked lower than Mexico: Argentina, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Haiti and Venezuela. Canada ranked highest and Venezuela lowest. Mexico is also ranked the most corrupt among the OECD countries. Read more.
Dec 3, 2014
Protests hammer Mexican president's popularity as elections loom
Trust: The popularity of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has sunk amid concerns about his handling of security problems and corruption, polls showed on Monday, in a sign that his ruling party could lose ground in elections next year.
Polls noted the sharp drop in his approval rating since the apparent massacre of 43 trainee teachers students and a conflict of interest scandal involving a home being purchased by the first lady. Read more.
Polls noted the sharp drop in his approval rating since the apparent massacre of 43 trainee teachers students and a conflict of interest scandal involving a home being purchased by the first lady. Read more.
Dec 2, 2014
What If Peña Nieto Resigns? Scenarios for Government Change in Mexico
Huffington Post: Since the resignation of Pascual Ortiz Rubio in 1932, Mexico has enjoyed uninterrupted presidential continuity, a streak that is unmatched by any major political system in the Western Hemisphere (and possibly among the longest in the world). Over the course of these 82 years, no presidential term has been cut short due to death, assassination, resignation, coup d'état or any other sort political upheaval and as a result, it has become difficult to imagine an interruption to this orderly succession that most Mexicans have taken for granted. However, the outbreak of social unrest from the Ayotzinapa crisis combined with the streak of scandals that have engulfed the presidency of Enrique Peña Nieto over the past two months have perhaps made the unthinkable slightly less so. For those of us in the business of analyzing political and economic risk, the last few years have demonstrated that highly improbable events do in fact take place and therefore deserve a more nuanced look. Read more.
Nov 27, 2014
Same firm, new house: Mexico leader's conflict-of-interest storm grows
Reuters: Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto faced fresh questions on Wednesday about his dealings with a company at the center of a conflict-of-interest scandal, after it emerged that he enjoyed rent-free use of a house belonging to the firm as a campaign office.
Already under pressure over the government's handling of the presumed massacre of 43 students abducted by corrupt police in southwestern Mexico in September, Pena Nieto is facing his most difficult period since taking office two years ago. Read more.
Already under pressure over the government's handling of the presumed massacre of 43 students abducted by corrupt police in southwestern Mexico in September, Pena Nieto is facing his most difficult period since taking office two years ago. Read more.
As Mexicans Lose Faith In President, Peña Nieto Proposes Changes To Justice System Amid Civil Unrest
International Business Times: The Mexican government said it will propose sweeping changes to the country's justice system this week, as students in the street protest widespread corruption and outrage grows over continued violence and political impunity under President Enrique Peña Nieto's administration. "You have to fix what's not working," Secretary of the Interior Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong said in a Monday radio interview about the proposal, which will be unveiled Thursday.
When Peña Nieto took office nearly two years ago, he promised to stem the bloodshed and instability that plagued his predecessor, Felipe Calderón. During his 2012 campaign, the then-governor of the state of Mexico pledged to "undertake a more effective security policy to reduce violence: no more homicides, no more kidnappings, no more extortions." He gave the speech in Tamaulipas state, where two former governors are accused of aiding drug cartels. Read more.
When Peña Nieto took office nearly two years ago, he promised to stem the bloodshed and instability that plagued his predecessor, Felipe Calderón. During his 2012 campaign, the then-governor of the state of Mexico pledged to "undertake a more effective security policy to reduce violence: no more homicides, no more kidnappings, no more extortions." He gave the speech in Tamaulipas state, where two former governors are accused of aiding drug cartels. Read more.
Nov 26, 2014
Few believe Mexico’s first lady made enough as TV star to pay for mansion
McClatchyDC: Mexico’s first lady, soap opera star Angelica Rivera, is back in the spotlight. But rather than receiving public adulation, she’s the subject of ridicule.
A poll released over the weekend found that three-quarters of Mexicans think Rivera isn’t telling the truth about how much she earned during her television career and how she paid for a $7 million mansion that’s at the heart of a political scandal enveloping her husband, President Enrique Pena Nieto. Read more.
A poll released over the weekend found that three-quarters of Mexicans think Rivera isn’t telling the truth about how much she earned during her television career and how she paid for a $7 million mansion that’s at the heart of a political scandal enveloping her husband, President Enrique Pena Nieto. Read more.
Nov 13, 2014
US State Department Urges Mexico "To Stay Calm"
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2014/11/234039.htm
Note: No one in the Obama cabinet, including Obama, has said anything about the Ayotzinapa case that I have seen. Only spokespersons. It's a topic they would like to go away--after all they have a lot riding on the Peña reforms and Peña has been a darling of the U.S. government. Now they have asked us to stay calm during the judicial process--as if there were a judicial process and as if 43 young men were not still forcibly disappeared. What did Shannon talk to Wayne about and what did Obama presumably talk to Peña Nieto about in China? That we will never know, but it surely went beyond patronizing platitudes to stay calm.
QUESTION: Jen, you were concerned about Mexico yesterday, and a couple of questions: Has the U.S. offered – or Mexico requested – any help in addressing the disappearance of the 43 students?
MS. PSAKI: Well, let me just – since you gave me the opportunity, let me just reiterate that we extend our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the victims. The heinous and barbaric crime must be thoroughly and transparently investigated and those responsible be brought to justice without delay and punishment – without delay and punished, sorry – consistent with due process and respect for the rule of law. We urge all parties to remain calm through the process.
I’m not aware of any specific requests from the Mexican Government for U.S. assistance. I can certainly check with our team and see if anything has changed on that front since yesterday.
QUESTION: Please. Also, the – is there a concern by the U.S. Government – I know that Mr. Shannon met with Ambassador Wayne this morning. Is there any concern about the stability of the Mexican Government, given the violence, the lack of confidence on state and federal government, that maybe Mexico is sliding towards a failed state situation?
MS. PSAKI: I don’t believe that’s a concern we’ve expressed. Obviously, we’re concerned about tensions on the ground. That’s why we’re continuing to urge all parties to remain calm through the process, and obviously why we’re engaged, also, closely with officials there. We have recently put out a new travel advisory to U.S. citizens who are living there, and, obviously, we continue to provide them updated information.
Note: No one in the Obama cabinet, including Obama, has said anything about the Ayotzinapa case that I have seen. Only spokespersons. It's a topic they would like to go away--after all they have a lot riding on the Peña reforms and Peña has been a darling of the U.S. government. Now they have asked us to stay calm during the judicial process--as if there were a judicial process and as if 43 young men were not still forcibly disappeared. What did Shannon talk to Wayne about and what did Obama presumably talk to Peña Nieto about in China? That we will never know, but it surely went beyond patronizing platitudes to stay calm.
QUESTION: Jen, you were concerned about Mexico yesterday, and a couple of questions: Has the U.S. offered – or Mexico requested – any help in addressing the disappearance of the 43 students?
MS. PSAKI: Well, let me just – since you gave me the opportunity, let me just reiterate that we extend our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the victims. The heinous and barbaric crime must be thoroughly and transparently investigated and those responsible be brought to justice without delay and punishment – without delay and punished, sorry – consistent with due process and respect for the rule of law. We urge all parties to remain calm through the process.
I’m not aware of any specific requests from the Mexican Government for U.S. assistance. I can certainly check with our team and see if anything has changed on that front since yesterday.
QUESTION: Please. Also, the – is there a concern by the U.S. Government – I know that Mr. Shannon met with Ambassador Wayne this morning. Is there any concern about the stability of the Mexican Government, given the violence, the lack of confidence on state and federal government, that maybe Mexico is sliding towards a failed state situation?
MS. PSAKI: I don’t believe that’s a concern we’ve expressed. Obviously, we’re concerned about tensions on the ground. That’s why we’re continuing to urge all parties to remain calm through the process, and obviously why we’re engaged, also, closely with officials there. We have recently put out a new travel advisory to U.S. citizens who are living there, and, obviously, we continue to provide them updated information.
Nov 11, 2014
Report: Mexico president's home built, owned by affiliate of high-speed rail contractor
Brandon Sun: The private home of President Enrique Pena Nieto was built and is registered under the name of a company connected to a controversial high-speed rail contract that he abruptly cancelled last week, according to a report by a leading Mexican journalist.
The $7 million, 13,000-square-foot home in Mexico City's most exclusive neighbourhood was built and is owned by Ingenieria Inmobiliaria del Centro, a company belonging to Grupo Higa, according the report published Sunday by Aristegui Noticias, website of journalist Carmen Aristegui. Read more.
The $7 million, 13,000-square-foot home in Mexico City's most exclusive neighbourhood was built and is owned by Ingenieria Inmobiliaria del Centro, a company belonging to Grupo Higa, according the report published Sunday by Aristegui Noticias, website of journalist Carmen Aristegui. Read more.
Sep 16, 2014
Mexico says will scrap limits on business dollar cash deposits
Reuters: Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said on Friday he would scrap limits on companies making dollar deposits in cash that were imposed by the previous government.
"Now companies will not have restrictions in their banks to deposit dollars in cash, or carry out currency exchanges," Pena Nieto said during a speech in the northern border city of Reynosa. Read more.
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