| Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador |
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Andrés Manuel López Obrador (born 13 November 1953 in the municipality of Macuspana, in the southern state of Tabasco ) is one of the three strongest candidates running for the presidency of Mexico in the 2006 Elections . He represents the Party Of The Democratic Revolution (PRD)-led coalition ( Alliance For The Well-Being Of All ). He held the position of "Jefe de Gobierno" (a position described by the english language media as Mayor ) of Mexico City from 2000 to 2005. During his term he was stripped of immunity ( See ''desafuero'' Section ) but the ruling was cancelled on a technicality. In the media, López Obrador is frequently referred to by his initials AMLO and as ''el Peje'' an abbreviation of Pejelagarto , a species of fish from the Lepisosteidae family, found in the state of Tabasco. Background López Obrador studied political science and public administration at the National Autonomous University Of Mexico (UNAM) before joining the PRI and collaborating actively in Carlos Pellicer 's campaign for the governorship of Tabasco. In 1977, he headed the ''Instituto Indigenista'' (Indigenous People's Institute) of his state. In 1984 he relocated to Mexico City to work at the ''Instituto Nacional del Consumidor'' (National Consumers' Institute), a government agency. López Obrador was president of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) in his home state of Tabasco . He resigned his post working for the government of Tabasco in 1988 to join the new dissenting wing of the PRI led by Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas . The dissenting wing would later become Partido De La Revolución Democrática (PRD). He ran for the governorship of his home state, losing against Roberto Madrazo in a highly controversial election. He gained national recognition when in 1996 he appeared on national TV drenched in blood after confrontations with authorities for blocking Pemex oil wells while defending the rights of local Chontal indians impacted by pollution http://www.eco.utexas.edu/~archive/chiapas95/1996.02/msg00133.html http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3110005951653491710&q=amlo&pl=true . López Obrador was president of the PRD from August 2 , 1996 to April 10 1999 . Head of Government of Mexico City On July 2 2000 he was elected ''Jefe de Gobierno'' of Mexico City, a position akin to that of City Mayor that also oversees the whole Distrito Federal as an entity, having won with 38.3% of votes http://www.iedf.org.mx/estadistica_electoral/PEL2000/electoral/EJG_RD.html. His candidacy was contested by political opponents who claimed he was not really a resident of the capital city, but they negotiated not to make an issue of it. Public image During his time as ''Jefe de Gobierno'', López Obrador became one of the most recognizable politicians in Mexico, fostering an image of frugality and honesty. Like most center-left politicians his policies appealed to lower- and middle-income citizens. He came in second in the 2004 World Mayor Project an internet open-vote selection that sought to recognize politicians that have given to their communities and to the world. López Obrador left the mayoralty with an 84% approval rating according to Mitofsky, a leading pollster http://www.noticias-oax.com.mx/articulos.php?id_sec=6&id_art=33353&id_ejemplar=837, and according to an analysis conducted by Reforma as he was leaving office, López Obrador kept 80% of the promises he made as a candidate.http://www.unam.mx/iisunam/nuevos/obsdem/ap050729.htm His reputation was tarnished when several high-profile officials in his staff and members of his party were filmed receiving large sums of cash. Videos appeared on national TV, the whole issue has been dubbed by the media as the Videoscandals . López Obrador was severely questioned for not accepting the new transparency policy that requires all public finance to be disclosed to the general public IFAI http://www.ifai.org.mx in his administration of Mexico City. López Obrador claims that his administration has proper disclosure policies. Political agenda (left) and former governor Arturo Montiel (right).]] As mayor, López Obrador focused on mantaining a clean public image, combating crime, promoting real-estate construction, and expanding the transportation system.http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20050926&s=eakin092605 He implemented various social programs that included extending cash checks to help vulnerable groups: single mothers, senior citizens and the physically- and mentally-challenged. Opposing parties initially criticized these actions, but have recently implemented similar programs themselves http://www.oem.com.mx/elheraldodechiapas/notas_e.asp?urlnota=tbhtrhy%20%20ysdfssd. He also founded the first new university in Mexico City in three decades the UACM . López Obrador hired Rudolph Giuliani to craft a zero-tolerance policy that would help reduce the escalating crime in Mexico City http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0317/p06s01-woam.html http://www.thebrooklynrail.org/express/june03/vivarudy.html. He directed the restoration and modernization of Mexico City's historic downtown, which has 16th-17th century buildings and a large number of tourist attractions, yet had been badly maintained, overcrowded, and crime-ridden in the last few decades. He led a joint venture with Carlos Slim , a native of the downtown Mexico City, to expropriate, restore, rebuild and Gentrify large parts of the area, creating attractive shopping and residential areas for middle- and upper-income residents. López Obrador used Fiscal Policy to encourage private sector investment in housing http://www.inmobiliare.com/articulos.php?id_sec=5&id_art=77. He granted construction firms large tax breaks and changed zoning regulations to make construction projects more financially attractive. This led to the construction of more condominiums and office building during his tenure, than during any other period in Mexico City history. New high density condos have emerged in the upscale neighborhoods of Polanco and Lomas. He has also facilitated the construction of low-income housing throughout the city by making credit more easily available http://www.esmas.com/noticierostelevisa/mexico/402522.html. To increase the capacity and speed of the city's two main thoroughfares, Periférico and Viaducto, he added sections of second stories to their existing infrastructure. An Express Bus Service , the '' Metrobús '', based on the successful Curitiba model, was built down Avenida Insurgentes , cutting through the city some 20 km from north to south.http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002340776_mextraffic19.html Legal and political controversies
Desafuero See Also: Desafuero In Mexico high ranking government officials have an official Immunity called ''Fuero'' that prevents criminal charges to be presented against them. If a person protected by ''Fuero'' commits a crime, there has to be a process to remove the immunity so he can be presented with such charges. In 2001 a landowner sued the government of Mexico City for having expropriated a strip of land. The strip of land had been expropriated to fulfill a contract in which the government of Mexico City had to give access to a high level hospital in an upscale part of town. López Obrador had to decide whether to comply with the court order regarding the potential lawsuit over the strip of land or fulfilling the contract or with the hospital. He chose the latter. The matter was kept quiet until in 2004 political opponents of López Obrador used a misdemeanor (ignoring a court order) to try to strip López Obrador of his immunity, thus ending his chances of running for the presidency in 2006. The issue was escalated to the point where López Obrador was about to set foot on jail, only to be bailed out by political oponents wanting to avoid López Obrador from appearing in jail. One of the largest public marches ever seen was organized in support of López Obrador against the ''desafuero''. Opponents questioned the validity of the march, since some attendants appear to have been brought to the march by López Obrador's support team. Most analysts agree that the desafuero process was politically motivated by the high approval ratings shown by López Obrador. President Vicente Fox appeared on national TV indicating that the issue would not be pursued any longer on April , 2005 . The whole deal ended up closed on a technicality. Presidential campaign In September 2005, López Obrador was nominated as presidential pre-candidate for the PRD for the 2006 General Election after the "moral leader" of the party, Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas , declined to participate in the internal elections when polls showed López Obrador had 90% party support. Until March 2006 he was considered the presidential frontrunner by the majority of polls, however polls in late April show a decline in López Obrador's numbers. http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/graficos/animados/presid-abr06.htmlhttp://www.bgc.com.mx/articulos/nal_abril.pdf. To counter the poll war that has started in the media, a site was setup to show all published polls considered valid http://www.opinamexico.org/candidato-partido.phtml. López Obrador has been severely criticized by left wing politicians and analysts for including in his close staff many former ''priistas'' who actively fought against his party in the and Marcelo Ebrard . Also the guerrilla leader of the EZLN , Subcommander Marcos , openly declared López Obrador to be a false left wing candidate, arguing that he is a Centrist candidate. The ''moral leader'' and founder of the PRD, Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas has not participated in any campaign events but has stated that he will still vote for his party, the PRD. López Obrador made the news in April by refusing to attend the first of two Debates that will be held by the candidates to the mexican presidency http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/mexico/stories/041706dnintimmigpollside.7fda9e3.html . López Obrador's ''50 commitments'' can be found here http://www.lopez-obrador.com.mx/compromisos.html . Among the most significant are the following: # He would ensure macroeconomic stability. He has repeatedly stated that he considers the inflation that arises from unchecked government spending as the worst enemy of lower- and middle-class Mexicans.http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/pen-l/2005w21/msg00087.htmhttp://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000086&sid=a2TVo7wxhuGI&refer=latin_america # He would use progressive fiscal policy to ameliorate the highly inequitable distribution of income that impedes strong economic growth. He points out that over the last 20 years annual economic growth has been an anemic 0.6% per capitahttp://estadis.eluniversal.com.mx/editoriales/32912.html He notes that one financial group that benefited from taxpayer aid eventually sold their banks to a US financial giant for over USD 10B, but paid 0% in taxes to the government. # He would promote education as a way to increase the productivity of human capital. # He would initiate infrastructure improvements throughout Mexico to ensure that multinationals can competitively transport their goods worldwide. # He would launch an investigation into any malfeasance that may have transpired during the bailout of Mexico's banks, the Fobaproa . # He would construct a modern railway, possibly a high-speed train (like the Japanese ' Shinkansen '), linking the capital with the U.S. border. # He would live in the National Palace on Mexico City's Zócalo , currently used partly for official ceremonies only and as a tourist attraction, since the President lives in the Los Pinos residence. # He would implement a social security program for all citizens over 69 years of age (65 years for the indigenous population). # He would ensure free basic educational supplies for all students in preschool, primary and secondary schools. # He would conduct a mid-term recall election to determine if he should continue as president. # He has stated that "controversial and thorny" issues ( Abortion , Euthanasia , Death Penalty and Gay Marriage ) should be submitted to public referendum. # He is not afraid to marshal police forces to achieve a greater good. # He does not support the private investment in the national oil and power monopolies. # He vows to increase tax revenues significantly by fighting evasion. # He does not support the Value Added Tax (IVA) on food and medicine References Publications Unless otherwise noted, in Spanish and published in Mexico.
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