Mexico
In Latin America, the Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation cooperates with the Unión de Partidos Latinoamericanos (UPLA) – a cooperation organization for center-right parties in Latin America and a member of the International Democrat Union (IDU).
Population: 113,7 million (2011 estimate)
Area: 1 964 375 km2
GDP (PPP): 1 560 billion dollar (2010 estimate)
GDP per capita (PPP): 13 800 $ (2010 estimate)
Rate of growth: 5% (2009 estimate)
Head of state and head of government: Felipe de Jesus Calderon Hinojosa
Mexico was under Spanish rule for over 300 years until it gained its independence in the beginning of the 18th century. The 2000 elections were the first time since the Mexican revolution in 1910 that the opposition parties managed to defeat Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI). Prior to this, Mexico had plunged into an economic crisis when the pesos was devaluated in 1994. This brought about the deepest recession in the Mexican economy in 50 years. The country is still recovering from this period.
The most recent presidential elections were held in 2006. Felipe Calderon of Partido Acción Nacional (PAN), which is a partner of the Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation, won with 35.89 percent of the vote. However, Calderon won with only a small margin over the runner-up Manuel López Obrador of Partido de la Revolución Democratica (PRD) who received 35.31 percent of the vote and Obrador initially refused to admit defeat. Nevertheless, Felipe Calderon assumed office as head of state and head of government on December 1, 2006. In Mexico the president’s term is six years and he is eligible for re-election. The most recent general elections were held in July 2006.
Mexico is a market economy which recently qualified for the trillion-dollar group. The economy is a mix of modern industry and backward agriculture, and private interests are beginning to dominate. Sectors such as railroads, ports and airports, telecommunications, electricity and natural gas extraction have been deregulated. Income distribution is uneven. Trade with the US and Canada has tripled since NAFTA took effect in 1994. Additionally, Mexico has signed free-trade agreements with Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, EEC and Japan – agreements that cover 90 percent of the country’s trade.
During the first year of his presidency, Calderon managed to draw support from the opposition in reforming both the fiscal and pension systems. Remaining challenges in terms of economic reforms are changes to labour legislation, modernisation of infrastructure and privatisation of the energy sector. Calderon has stated that his main economic priorities are reducing poverty and creating more job opportunities.
