MP Mexico News Staff
Mexico is a dynamic, changing country, being led by very smart, concerned people from three major political parties. We would like to introduce you to some of the major players who are helping Mexico embrace a truly democratic society, after 7 decades of single-party rule. We are fortunate observers to be able to witness the growth and evolution of the great, fascinating country.
Here is a profile of current President Felipe Calderón, as described on the Mexican government web site.
President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa was born on August 18, 1962, in Morelia, Michoacán. He is the youngest of five brothers, and the son of Carmen Hinojosa de Calderón and the late Luis Calderon Vega, founder, leader and historian of the National Action Party (PAN). He is married to Margarita Zavala Gómez del Campo, with whom he has three children.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Law from the Escuela Libre de Derecho, a master’s in Economics from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) and a master’s in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School at Harvard University.
Within the PAN, President Felipe Calderón was Secretary of Studies (1987), National Youth Secretary (1991) and Secretary General (1993). From 1994 to 1995, he was the PAN representative to the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE), and in 1995 was candidate for governor of the state of Michoacán.
He was elected president of the PAN’s National Executive Committee during the three year period from 1996-1999. During his tenure, the PAN achieved significant electoral triumphs and was witness to several important agreements, such as the Electoral Reform, which paved the way for the IFE’s autonomy. During his legislative career, President Calderón was Representative of the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District (1988-1991) and Federal Deputy in the 55th Legislature (1991-1994).
In 2000, he was Federal Deputy in the 58th Legislature and was appointed Coordinator of the PAN’s Parliamentary Group (2000-2003), where he submitted various law proposals for the consecutive election of deputies, the Law of Responsibilities of the Civil Servant and the rules and regulations to apply the Law of Access to Information in the Chamber of Deputies.
In 2002, he was president of the Board of Political Coordination, where he promoted transparency in the use of funds in the Chamber of Deputies.
Because of his legislative leadership and performance, President Felipe Calderón was awarded the “NAFTA Congressional Leadership Award” from the México-US Chamber of Commerce and the “CANACINTRA Eagle Award for Legislative Merit” award from the National Chamber of the Manufacturing Industry.
In the international arena, he was Vice-president of the Christian Democrat Organization of America (CDOA). He was member of the “World Leaders of the Future” of the World Economic Forum from 1997 to 2000.
During his professional career, President Felipe Calderón worked in the areas of civil and labor law, at the firms of Goodrich, Riquelme and Partners and at Multibanco Comermex, respectively. Moreover, he has written as an editorialist for Mexico’s main newspapers. In March 2003, in the public sector, President Felipe Calderón was appointed General Director of the National Bank of Public Works and Services (BANOBRAS) a banking institution in charge of granting financing to states and city councils, as well as promoting investment in infrastructure projects.
In September 2003, he was appointed Secretary of Energy by then President Vicente Fox. As the head of Mexico’s energy sector, he promoted the modernization of state-owned companies as president of the Board of Directors of PEMEX, the Federal Commission of Electricity (CFE) and the electricity company Luz y Fuerza del Centro (LyFC).
In 2005, he was elected as the PAN’s presidential candidate, and, on July 2, 2006, he obtained the majority of the votes in one of Mexico’s closest elections. On December 1, he was sworn in as President of the United States of Mexico for the 2006-2012 term.