November 22, 2006. Copyright 2006, Graphic News. All rights reserved

MexicoÕs Felipe Calderon faces delicate balancing act to win over his people
By Jo Griffin

LONDON, November 22, Graphic News:  He began the race as a complete no-hoper, ran a highly contentious campaign and had the narrowest victory in his countryÕs history. As he prepares to take office on December 1, President-elect Felipe CalderonÕs first job is to persuade Mexicans that he does indeed have a mandate to rule.

CalderonÕs victory over leftwing rival Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, of the Revolutionary Democratic Party, was confirmed on September 5 after weeks of legal wrangling that threatened to plunge Mexico into a prolonged political crisis. After a dubious campaign including ads thought so misjudged they were banned, he will need to show more tact if he is to convice people of the legitimacy of his appointment.

The signs are that he probably has the political savvy to pull it off: in the run-up to the July 2 polls Calderon presented himself as tough on crime and corruption, and determined to stand his ground with the countryÕs powerful northern neighbour over migration. His sweeping platform also took in measures to combat poverty and address inadequate healthcare provisions, all issues that weigh heavily on Mexican minds.

To some extent, suspicion about Calderon among his highly politicized compatriots may have to do with the fact that he is unashamedly a career politician who rose steadily through the ranks of the conservative National Action Party (PAN), but who lacks charisma, and whose background contains no obvious clues as to his future date with destiny.

Born in 1962 in Morelia, in the northeastern state of Michoacan, Calderon is the son of one of the founders of the National Action Party. He studied law in Mexico City and then at Harvard. In his twenties, he was president of PANÕs youth movement before taking over as the partyÕs national president from 1996-99.

In recent years, his career has been shaped by his relationship with outgoing President Vicente Fox, who certainly cannot be described as a mentor. Under Fox, Calderon served as director of national development bank Banobras and later as Energy Secretary before stepping down in 2004 when Fox made it clear that he did not back his presidential ambitions.

After accepting his partyÕs nomination as candidate in December 2005, Calderon faced an uphill struggle to overtake Obrador in opinion polls and, after the final count was at first judged too close to call, Obrador and his supporters protested that PAN had resorted to fraud to edge ahead in the end.

Despite his tactic of displaying his Òclean handsÓ as evidence of his stance on corruption, it wasnÕt the first time that Calderon had been accused of illegal activities. As Banobras director he was alleged to have illegally borrowed and later repaid $300,000. Obrador accused him of granting government software contracts to his brotherÕs company.

The Roman Catholic Calderon is conservative on social and economic issues, but may have to moderate his freemarket ambitions. He is known to favour the introduction of a Òflat taxÓ and limited privatization, but would be well advised to bide his time before making an assault on the powerful unions.

He will also need the support of other parties to get his policies through Congress, and history has taught Mexicans not to easily forgive politicians who they believe have ÒstolenÓ elections.  

While the United States will welcome his appointment as bucking the regional drift towards the left, Calderon has promised that he will not buckle on bilateral issues. He opposes construction of a wall to keep illegal migrants out of the United States, and backs legal residency for Mexicans who have spent more than three years in the country.

He is married to former PAN deputy Margarita Zavala, and they have three children.
/ENDS