Mexico turns page on handsome, scandal-stained president

World 14:33 22.06.2018
Six years after he seduced Mexico with his dashing good looks and promises of sweeping reform, President Enrique Pena Nieto leaves a legacy stained by corruption, violence and human rights violations.
 
Charming his way to the presidency in 2012, his soap opera star wife by his side, Pena Nieto sold himself to voters as a fresh young reformer who would reinvent his party -- the once-hegemonic Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) -- and Mexico along with it.
 
The PRI had ruled Mexico as a one-party state from 1929 to 2000, until people grew so disgusted with its corruption, cronyism and abuses it had little choice but to allow free elections.
 
Twelve turbulent years later, Pena Nieto, then 45 years old, pulled off what once seemed unthinkable: returning the PRI to power, by promising to restore the stability of the old days but usher in a new era of democracy, transparency and reform.
 
It all started well for the youthful president with the sleek black hair, who had previously been governor of Mexico state, the country's most populous: in rapid succession he passed landmark reforms in energy, education, telecommunications, labor and more.
 
The reforms, which touched virtually every aspect of Mexicans' lives, were essentially a national make-over, designed to give the country a fresh new start and wash away the accumulated grime of seven decades of one-party rule.
 
'George Clooney of politics'
 
Pena Nieto made a splash on the international stage, too: during an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the Philippines in 2015, infatuated fans coined the Twitter hashtag #APEChotties for him and then-newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
 
The Economist magazine urged Pena Nieto to "keep it up," The Washington Post called him "handsome" and "popular," and CBS News declared him "the George Clooney of politics."
 
But as Mexicans prepare to cast their ballots again on July 1, the outgoing president's popularity is hovering around 20 percent.
 
His chosen successor, former finance minister Jose Antonio Meade, appears to be on track for a drubbing, polling a distant third to fiery leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador -- who has a double-digit lead -- and conservative Ricardo Anaya.
 
Where did it all go wrong?
 
Bad old days
 
It did not take long for signs to appear that the bad old days of the PRI were alive and well.
 
Even as the ink was drying on Pena Nieto's reforms, he and the party were getting mired in a succession of scandals.
 
In 2014, investigative journalists revealed his wife had bought a multi-million-dollar mansion from a government contractor in a suspected sweetheart deal.
 
Then came the string of corruption scandals involving PRI governors, no less than 11 of whom are now on trial, in jail, under investigation or on the run.
 
The headaches got worse when the drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman escaped from maximum-security prison in 2015.
 
Though he was recaptured the following year and extradited to the United States, the episode remains a major embarrassment.
 
Missing students, murders
 
The darkest stain, however, may be the disappearance of 43 students in the southern state of Guerrero in 2014.
 
The student activists went missing after a clash with local police, in circumstances that remain murky.
 
Mexican authorities say corrupt police handed them over to drug cartel hitmen who killed them and burned their bodies.
 
But a team of independent international forensic investigators who examined the supposed bonfire site insists that version of events is impossible -- leaving Mexicans to wonder what truth could possibly be worse than the alleged cover-up story.
 
More generally, the violence Mexico is suffering has badly battered Pena Nieto's image.
 
Awash in bloodshed driven by the war on drug cartels, Mexico registered a record 25,339 homicides last year.
 
"He's been a total failure" on security, said political analyst Sergio Aguayo of the Colegio de Mexico.
 
"Mexicans can hardly agree on anything, but there's rare consensus on one fact: Enrique Pena Nieto's security policy was a failure."
Hikmat Hajiyev: "Azerbaijan is a natural link connecting Central Asia and Europe" - VIDEO

News line

Azerbaijan's Dushbara is on list of tastiest dumplings worldwide
18:00 29.03.2024
EU-Armenia-US joint conference may encourage Armenia to new provocations - Azerbaijan's FM
17:47 29.03.2024
Melting Polar Ice Caps Slow Earth's Rotation, Delaying "Leap Second" Addition
Melting Polar Ice Caps Slow Earth's Rotation, Delaying "Leap Second" Addition
17:29 29.03.2024
EU Delegation to Armenia Signals Push for Stability in South Caucasus - Insights from Arnold Stepanyan
17:14 29.03.2024
Russian MFA calls 102nd Military Base only guarantee of Armenia's sovereignty
17:01 29.03.2024
"The Ukrainian army is addicted to gambling" - says Ukrainian MP
"The Ukrainian army is addicted to gambling" - says Ukrainian MP
16:50 29.03.2024
Why are the US and the EU arming Armenia? - Pundit talks on Ednews
16:39 29.03.2024
Erdogan to visit US on May 9
Erdogan to visit US on May 9
16:26 29.03.2024
Hulusi Akar, US congressmen mull Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process
15:52 29.03.2024
Russian ambassador sees no reasons to expect Russian-US ties to improve
15:36 29.03.2024
British army lifts ban on serving soldiers having beards
British army lifts ban on serving soldiers having beards
15:29 29.03.2024
Hikmat Hajiyev: "Azerbaijan is a natural link connecting Central Asia and Europe" - VIDEO
15:13 29.03.2024
Azerbaijan weather forecast for March 30
Azerbaijan weather forecast for March 30
15:00 29.03.2024
Tajikistan detains 9 people over Russian concert shooting
Tajikistan detains 9 people over Russian concert shooting
14:46 29.03.2024
Washington Is Forming A New Alliance - OPINION
14:32 29.03.2024
Individuals identified as drug users will not be admitted for service in Azerbaijani tax authorities
14:14 29.03.2024
Philippines' Catholic devotees nailed to crosses to re-enact crucifixion
Philippines' Catholic devotees nailed to crosses to re-enact crucifixion
14:00 29.03.2024
Umud Mirzayev: EU's South Caucasus Visit Aims to Maintain Regional Influence
13:45 29.03.2024
Public Television of Armenia Reveals Villages to be Returned to Azerbaijan
13:39 29.03.2024
Death toll of Israeli strike in Syria rises to 42, war monitor says - UPDATED
13:25 29.03.2024
Azerbaijan toughens penalties for non-compliance with rules of state of emergency regime
Azerbaijan toughens penalties for non-compliance with rules of state of emergency regime
13:12 29.03.2024
How will the EU's visit to the South Caucasus affect the peace process? - Former ambassador talks to Ednews
13:00 29.03.2024
Azerbaijan tightens sanctions for breaching special operation zone rules on religious extremism
12:45 29.03.2024
Azerbaijan toughens penalties for non-compliance with rules of social emergency environment regime
12:33 29.03.2024
About $7 bln of foreign direct investment was invested in Azerbaijan last year
12:00 29.03.2024
Number of people injured in Crocus City Hall terrorist attack reaches 382
11:48 29.03.2024
Media: Netanyahu rejected the Mossad Chief's proposal for a possible agreement in Gaza
11:37 29.03.2024
Azerbaijani Parliament's meeting kicks off
11:26 29.03.2024
An American couple founded a website, which identifies brands that support Israel
An American couple founded a website, which identifies brands that support Israel
11:07 29.03.2024
US scientists name infection more dangerous for brain than coronavirus
US scientists name infection more dangerous for brain than coronavirus
11:00 29.03.2024
Parviz Shahbazov: Foundations of 4 new renewable energy plants will be laid this year
Parviz Shahbazov: Foundations of 4 new renewable energy plants will be laid this year
10:50 29.03.2024
Japan eyes self-driving expressway lane network
10:40 29.03.2024
Oil prices end 1Q24 with strong growth
10:30 29.03.2024
SECRETS of the European Union's visit to the South Caucasus - Fikret Sadigov EXPLAINS
10:25 29.03.2024
Ammunition found in Khankandi
Ammunition found in Khankandi
10:10 29.03.2024
Iran’s top diplomat: Military presence of third countries in Caspian Sea goes against interests of region
Iran’s top diplomat: Military presence of third countries in Caspian Sea goes against interests of region
10:00 29.03.2024
Armenia officially announces freezing its participation in CSTO
09:50 29.03.2024
US hopes to return to purchase of 72 fighter jets per year amid budget cuts
09:38 29.03.2024
Another 138 IDPs leave for Fuzuli
09:28 29.03.2024
Netanyahu: "We have strategic assets of Hamas"
09:17 29.03.2024
Hamısı