Enrique Peña Nieto

"Enrique Peña" redirects here. For the Cuban musician, see Enrique Peña Sánchez. For the Catalan architect, see Enrique Nieto (architect).

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Peña and the second or maternal family name is Nieto.

Enrique Peña Nieto
57th President of Mexico
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 December 2012
Preceded by	Felipe Calderón
41st Governor of the State of Mexico
In office 16 September 2005 – 16 September 2011
Preceded by	Arturo Montiel
Succeeded by	Eruviel Ávila
Personal details
Born	(1966-07-20) 20 July 1966 Atlacomulco, State of Mexico, Mexico
Political party	Institutional Revolutionary Party
Spouse(s)	Mónica Pretelini Sáenz (m. 1993; d. 2007) Angélica Rivera (m. 2010)
Children	4
Residence	Monterrey, N.L.
Alma mater	Panamerican University
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Signature

Enrique Peña Nieto (Spanish pronunciation: [enˈrike ˈpeɲa ˈnjeto]; born 20 July 1966) is the 57th President of Mexico. His six-year term began in 2012. A member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), he served as governor of the State of Mexico from 2005 to 2011. Peña Nieto was declared "president-elect" after the 2012 general election was declared valid by the Federal Electoral Tribunal, amidst accusations of electoral fraud. He took office on 1 December 2012, succeeding Felipe Calderón.

Peña Nieto announced his presidential candidacy in September 2011, four days after leaving office as governor. He formally registered in November 2011. Peña Nieto garnered a plurality of 39% of the vote and does not hold a legislative majority. His election marked the return of the PRI to power after a twelve-year hiatus. The PRI had governed Mexico uninterrupted for 71 years until it was defeated by the National Action Party (PAN) in 2000. Protests against the election of Peña Nieto drew tens of thousands of people across Mexico, particularly from the Yo Soy 132 student movement, who protested alleged voting irregularities and media bias. Others protested that during its time in power, the PRI became a symbol of corruption, repression, economic mismanagement and electoral fraud. Many Mexicans and urban dwellers worried that its return to power might signify a return to Mexico's past. Peña Nieto promised that his government would be much more democratic, modern and open to criticism. He also pledged to continue the fight against organized crime and drug trade and that there would be no pacts with criminals.

The rule of the PAN was marked by an inability to pass reform and the party also lacked a congressional majority. The PRI touted that it "knows how to govern", an argument compelling enough for many voters to support the party. Throughout the election Peña Nieto maintained a wide lead in the polls. He promised to reinvigorate Mexico's economy, permit national oil company Pemex to compete in the private sector, and reduce drug violence that has left more than 55,000 dead in six years. Peña Nieto has twice appeared in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's Most Powerful People, once in 2013, where he was ranked 37th, and again in 2014, where he was ranked 60th.

Early life and education

Peña Nieto was born on 20 July 1966 in Atlacomulco, State of Mexico, a city 55 miles northwest from the Mexico City. He is the eldest of four siblings in a middle-class family; his father, Gilberto Enrique Peña del Mazo, was an electrical engineer; his mother, María del Perpetuo Socorro Ofelia Nieto Sánchez, a schoolteacher. He is the nephew of two former governors of the State of México: on his mother's side, Arturo Montiel, on his father's, Alfredo del Mazo González. He attended Denis Hall School in Alfred, Maine during one year of junior high school in 1979 to learn English. People who knew him in his early years said that he was a sharp dresser, and told teachers at his school that he planned to be governor of the State of Mexico. During his childhood, Peña Nieto was referred to as "Quique," a nickname short for Enrique. Peña Nieto distinguished himself in childhood for being courteous and tidy and well-groomed. His mother recalls how she would squeeze lemon juice on Peña Nieto's hair to keep his now famous hairstyle in place. Some neighbors in Atlacomulco recall that Peña Nieto was an "overprotected" kid. After living in Atlacomulco for the first 11 years of his life, Peña Nieto's family moved to the city of Toluca.

As a teenager, he became a fan of football and spent hours playing chess with his friends; he later learned how to drive his mother's car and was given his first car. During adolescence, his father would often take him to the campaign rallies of the State of Mexico's governor, Jorge Jiménez Cantú, a close friend of his. The successor of the governor was Alfredo del Mazo González, a cousin of Peña Nieto's father. During Del Mazo González's campaign in 1981, the fifteen-year-old Peña Nieto had his first direct contact with Mexican politics: he began delivering propaganda in favor of his relative, a memory Peña Nieto still recalls as the turning point and start of his deep interest in politics.

In 1984 at the age of 18, Peña Nieto traveled to Mexico City and enrolled in the Universidad Panamericana, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Law; he later went on to obtain a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Business Administration from ITAM.

Political beginnings

Peña Nieto as Governor of the State of Mexico in 2006

Peña Nieto joined the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in 1984, and with a law degree nearly completed, he began earning his own money. During his final years in college, Peña Nieto worked for a public notary in Mexico City, around the same time when his relative, Alfredo del Mazo González, was mentioned as a firm candidate for the 1988 presidential elections. In his twenties, he worked at the San Luis Industrial Corporation, an auto parts manufacturing industry, and at a law firm named Laffan, Muse and Kaye. While still a student at the Universidad Panamericana, he roomed with Eustaquio de Nicolás, the current president of Homex, a leading Mexican construction and real estate company. He also befriended and roomed with Luis Miranda, who occupied several offices during the 1999–2000 administration in the State of Mexico.

Peña Nieto's academic thesis entitled "El presidencialismo mexicano y Álvaro Obregón" (translated in English as "Mexican Presidentialism and Álvaro Obregón") expounds upon the comparison between the Mexican presidential system to that of parliamentarism. In the 202-page document, Peña Nieto argued that the administration of Benito Juárez was a "presidential dictatorship," since he had a powerful executive force during the Reform War, which allowed him to have absolute political power. Peña Nieto interviewed several authors, including Jorge Carpizo, Héctor Fix-Zamudio, Enrique Krauze and Justo Sierra. Peña Nieto listed at least forty books in his bibliography. His work was dedicated to Arturo Montiel Rojas, the former governor of the State of Mexico and relative of Peña Nieto.

Upon graduating as a lawyer from the Universidad Panamericana, Peña Nieto sought a master's degree in the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, based in the State of Mexico. By the side of Montiel Rojas, he formally started his political career and became the Secretary of the Citizen Movement of Zone I of the State Directive Committee of the National Confederation of Popular Organizations (CNOP), one of the three sectors of the PRI. For three consecutive years until 1993, Peña Nieto participated as a delegate to the Organization and Citizen Front in different municipalities of the State of Mexico. Between 1993 and 1998, during Emilio Chuayfett's term as governor, Peña Nieto was chief of staff for the Secretary of economic development of the State of Mexico and the personal secretary of Montiel Rojas, who was the Secretary of Economic Development in the state.

Peña Nieto served during the years 1999 to 2000 as the Sub-secretary of government, and as financial sub-coordinator of the political campaign of Montiel Rojas. In 2003, he was elected as deputy of the XIII Local District with a seat in Atlacomulco, State of Mexico.

Legislative career

State deputy, 2003–05

After 1999, Peña Nieto went from having low-level secretary positions to higher and more qualified offices. In 2001, Montiel Rojas named Peña Nieto Sub-secretary of Interior in the State of Mexico, a position that granted him the opportunity to meet and forge relationships with top politicians in the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and wealthy businessmen from the State of Mexico. After his term concluded, he served as the administrative secretary, as president of the Directive Council of Social Security, as president of the Internal Council of Health, and as vice president of the National System for Integral Family Development – all in the State of Mexico. Under the wing of Arturo Montiel Rojas, Peña Nieto formed a group known as the "Golden Boys of Atlacomulco" with other members of the PRI. He later ran for a local deputy position in his hometown of Atlacomulco in 2003 and won. Two years later, the Atlacomulco-natives: Carlos Hank Rhon, Isidro Pastor, Héctor Luna de la Vega, Guillermo González Martínez, Óscar Gustavo Cárdenas Monroy, Eduardo Bernal Martínez, Cuauhtémoc García Ortega and Fernando Alberto García Cuevas wanted the governorship of the State of Mexico. Peña Nieto was among the crowd, but was not poised as one of the favorites.

Nonetheless, in 2005, Peña Nieto was the last man standing, succeeding Montiel Rojas as governor of the State of Mexico. On 12 February 2005, with 15,000 sympathizers in attendance, he was sworn in as candidate for the PRI.

Governor of the State of Mexico (2005–11)

608 commitments

On 15 September 2005, Peña Nieto was sworn as governor of the State of Mexico at the Morelos theater in Toluca. Among the hundreds of attendes sat Arturo Montiel, the predecessor; the president of the Superior Court of Justice, José Castillo Ambriz; along with former governors, members of Peña Nieto's cabinet and party, mayors, businessmen, and church figures. The centerpiece of Peña Nieto's governorship was his claim that he was to deliver his compromisos – 608 promises he signed in front of a notary to convince voters that he would deliver results and be an effective leader. According to El Universal, during Peña Nieto's first year as governor, his administration only delivered 10 of the structural promises he had advocated in his campaign – marking the lowest figure in his six-year term.

By 2006, his administration carried out 141 of projects, making that year the most active in the governor's term. The 608 projects Peña Nieto proposed consisted of creating highways, building hospitals, and creating adequate water systems to provide fresh water throughout the state. The most important of these regarded highway infrastructure, which tripled under Peña's government. By mid-2011, the official page of the State of Mexico noted that only two projects were left. The major projects in public transportation were the Suburban Train and the "Mexibús," both of which served commuters between Mexico City and the State of Mexico, providing service to more than 300,000 people every day and 100 million a year. Regarding public health services, 196 hospitals and medical centers were built throughout the state and the number of mobile units to attend remote and vulnerable areas doubled. Deaths caused by respiratory diseases were reduced by 55%, while deaths caused by dysentery and cervical cancer were reduced by 68% and 25% respectively. In addition, between 2005 and 2011, the State of Mexico was able to fulfill the requirement of the World Health Organization of having one doctor for every 1,000 inhabitants. The funds for these and all the other commitments were obtained through restructuring the state's public debt, a strategy designed by his first Secretary of Finance, Luis Videgaray Caso. The restructuring also managed to keep the debt from increasing during Peña Nieto's term because the tax base was broadened to the point that it doubled in six years.

During the course of the 2012 presidential campaign, the conservative National Action Party (PAN) questioned the completion of at least 100 of the commitments of Peña Nieto. The PAN also warned the PRI that they were going to examine each of the 608 commitments and release the information to the public. The conservative party also stated that they had plans to publicize the cost of the projects and make a detailed trajectory of the supposed locations where the projects took place. The PRI responded to the accusations by stating that the PAN politicians "were the liars." The PRI presented a web page with the description of each commitment and when and where it was achieved; the webpage included pictures, a detailed description, a notary certification, and the number of people benefited from the project. The party then claimed that Peña Nieto's adversaries, but particularly the PAN's candidate, Josefina Vázquez Mota, were carrying out a "dirty war" against him. The PAN concluded by claiming that the current administration was allegedly "repairing" the unfinished projects of Peña Nieto's past administration, while the PRI insisted that its opposition was pointing out to unfinished projects that were not in the 608 commitments and under Peña Nieto's agenda.

Peña Nieto also claimed that he halved the murder rate in the State of Mexico during his time as governor, but retracted this claim after The Economist showed that the murder rate did not diminish and was being measured in a different way.

2006 San Salvador Atenco unrest

During the administration of Vicente Fox in 2002, several peasants in San Salvador Atenco, State of Mexico, resisted the government's plan to expropriate their lands to build a new international airport near the country's capital, Mexico City. Consequently, on 3 May 2006, state and federal police forces raided San Salvador Atenco and violently took many of its dwellers into custody, unleashing a civil unrest in the area between 300 unarmed civilians and 3,000 police officers. Some law enforcement officials retaliated for the confrontations of the previous days and tried to break up a blockade of a federal highway stopping a group of flower vendors protesting against the government. The leader of the movement was sentenced to 150 years in prison, and the rest of the members were accused of alleged "organized kidnapping" of police officers and sent to supermax prisons. National and international human rights organizations demanded the release of the activists, whose sentences were turned down until August 2010. According to a report issued by Amnesty International on February 2009, the civil unrest resulted in the detention of 200 people and hundreds of allegations of abuses, including sexual violence against 26 women who were arrested; others, in addition, were allegedly tortured. In the operations, the police used firearms, tear gas and electric batons. Two young men were murdered by the Mexican Federal Police, while hundreds were arrested without warrants and beaten. A 14-year-old boy was killed too. In response to the abuse allegations, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation agreed to investigate the incident to establish whether the unrest was an isolated event or if it was part of a larger plot formed by politicians in the municipal and state levels.

The Yo Soy 132 student movement criticized Peña Nieto for his stance on the San Salvador Atenco unrest, which occurred in the State of Mexico during his time as governor. Peña Nieto stated in an interview that he does not justify the actions of the state and municipal forces, but also mentioned that they were not gladly received by the citizens of San Salvador Atenco upon their arrival. He condemned the abuses and promised to fully execute the law and bring transparency to the investigations. He lamented the deaths caused by the unrest but emphasized that risks often occur in security operatives. Peña Nieto concluded by assuming responsibility of the event and insisted that "yellow journalism" has also obscured what actually happened. Infuriated by the response, students of the Yo Soy 132 booed the politician and protested against him, calling him a "murderer."

Death of wife

During his second year in office, Peña Nieto's wife, Mónica Pretelini, died on 11 January 2007. Her neurologist stated that Pretelini suffered an epileptic seizure at around 1:00 am, causing her irregular heartbeats and respiratory problems. At around 10:00 am, the doctors confirmed that Pretelini was brain dead at the ABC hospital after treatment at the emergency room in Mexico City, and notified Peña Nieto at 1:00 pm.

The couple had married in 1993 and had three children: Paulina, (11); Alejandro (8) and Nicole (6). Pretelini had a vital role during the campaign of Peña Nieto's governorship. Her last public appearance was during the wedding of the municipal president of Ixtapan de la Sal on 6 January 2007.

There have been controversies regarding Mónica Pretelini's death. The most important consists of a widespread thought among Mexicans that Peña Nieto was involved. Reporters such as Jorge Ramos addressed this issue directly with him.

2011–12 presidential campaign

While at a book fair on 23 November 2011, Peña Nieto presented his book "México, la gran esperanza" (Mexico, the great hope) in Casa del Lago, Mexico City, accompanied by the writer Héctor Aguilar Camín; former governor of Mexico's Central Bank, Guillermo Ortiz Martínez; and journalist Jaime Sánchez Susarrey. In his book, the politician argues that Mexico needs to expand its economy to create more jobs, insisting that in the past the country has only created them in the informal sector. He also urged promoting Pemex to compete in the private sector to create more jobs, elevate productivity, and balance wealth distribution across Mexico. Aguilar Camín, however, questioned Peña Nieto's ideals, and asked him how it was possible for him to speak of transparency when the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) was allegedly entangled in economic debts and controversial money transactions. Nonetheless, Peña Nieto then thanked the governor Eruviel Ávila Villegas for being present, and told him that his book was dedicated to the governor's family and to his wife, Angélica Rivera. Peña Nieto responded by saying that the return of the PRI marks a new era in Mexico, and that the book he wrote serves as a starting point to take Mexico "to better horizons."

Peña Nieto at the World Economic Forum (2010)

On 27 November 2011, Peña Nieto was the last standing nominee for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) for the 2012 Mexican presidential elections. The former State of Mexico governor completed his nomination at an event that gathered sympathizers and politicians. Six days earlier, the senator and preliminary candidate of the PRI, Manlio Fabio Beltrones, withdrew from the race and gave Peña Nieto a clear path towards the presidency. During a book fair a month later, Peña Nieto's public image "took a lot of hits" after he struggled to answer a question that asked which three books had marked his life. When he was criticized by Mexico's intellectuals, his daughter worsened the situation by posting a defamatory message on Twitter, stating that the criticisms were driven by class envy. Later, Peña Nieto was interviewed by El País and admitted that he did not know the price of tortillas. When he was criticized as being out of touch, Peña Nieto insisted that he was not "the woman of the household" and thus would not know the price. In another interview, he admitted to have cheated on his past wife with another woman and fathered two children out of wedlock.

On 1 July 2012, Mexico's presidential election took place. In an initial, partial count issued that night, the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) announced that based on a fast vote counting, Peña Nieto was leading the election with 38% of the votes. His nearest competitor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, was just 6 points behind him. The figures were meant to be a representative sample of the votes nationwide; but shortly after this announcement, Peña Nieto appeared on national television claiming victory. "This Sunday, Mexico won," he said. He then thanked his voters and promised to run government "responsible and open to criticism." At the PRI headquarters in Mexico City, the victory party began. With more than 97% of the votes counted on election day, the PRI had won with about 38% of the votes, just 6.4 points above the leftist candidate López Obrador of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), who refused to concede to the results and had threatened to challenge the outcome. At a news conference, the leftist candidate claimed that the election was "plagued with irregularities" and accused the PRI of allegedly buying votes. He also claims that the PRI handed out gifts to lure voters to cast their vote in favor of them. Nonetheless, the PRI denies the accusations and threatens to sue López Obrador. Peña Nieto vowed to imprison anyone – including members of the PRI – if they are found guilty of electoral fraud.

The final election results confirmed that Peña Nieto obtained 38.21% of the votes, followed by López Obrador with 31.59%. Josefina Vázquez Mota of the National Action Party (PAN) got 25.41% votes and Gabriel Quadri of the New Alliance Party (PANAL) 2.29%.

Security policy

See also: Mexican Drug War

Main article: Security policy of Enrique Peña Nieto

The security policy of Peña Nieto prioritizes the reduction of violence rather than attacking Mexico's drug trafficking organizations head-on, marking a departure from the strategy of the past six years during Felipe Calderón's administration. Peña Nieto has set up a number of conceptual and organizational changes from the past regime policy, and one of the biggest contrasts is the focus on lowering murder rates, kidnappings, and extortions, as opposed to arresting or killing the country's most-wanted drug lords and intercepting their drug shipments. The government of Calderón, however, has justified its position by stating that the current violence in the country is a necessary stage in Mexico's drug war, as weakening criminal groups fight for territorial control against one another and the government. Moreover, part of Peña Nieto's strategy also consists on the creation of a national police made up of 40,000 members, known as a "gendarmerie", though in November 2013 it was announced that this force would be reduced to 5,000 members and would not be operational until July 2014. He also proposed on centralizing the sub-federal police forces under one command. The president-elect emphasized that he does not support the involvement or presence of armed U.S. agents in Mexico, but considers allowing the United States to instruct Mexico's military training in counterinsurgency tactics. Beyond that, Peña Nieto promised that no other measures will be taken by the U.S. in Mexico. While campaigning, Peña Nieto appointed a former general of the National Police of Colombia as his external advisor for public security, and boldly promised to reduce 50% of the murder rates in Mexico by the end of his six-year term.

Critics of Peña Nieto's security strategy, however, say that he has offered "little sense" in exactly how he will reduce the violence. During the three-month campaign, Peña Nieto was not explicit on his anti-crime strategy, and many analysts wonder whether Peña Nieto is holding back politically sensitive details in his security strategy or simply does not know yet how he will squelch the violence and carry out the next stage in Mexico's drug war. Moreover, U.S. officials are worried that the return of Peña Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) after ruling Mexico for 71 years may mean returning to the old PRI tactics of "corruption [and] backroom deals" with the cartels in exchange for bribes and relative peace.

Energy policy

During the presidential campaign, Peña Nieto promised to open Pemex, Mexico's state-owned oil company, to the private sector. He also indicated interest in an economic agreement with Petrobras, Brazil's oil company. By giving more economic freedom to Pemex, investors say Peña Nieto's proposal could allow joint ventures and private investment in the oil company. Such reforms require congressional support, and Peña Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) gained only a plurality in Congress (more seats than any other party). With just over 38% of the votes, Peña Nieto may have difficulty gaining an absolute majority (over 50% of the seats) in Congress to pass such reforms, much less than the two-thirds majority needed to change the Mexican constitution. This leaves a lot of uncertainty for investors. Pemex was founded through the nationalization of foreign oil interests, and the Mexican constitution bans major outside investments. Changing Pemex can also transform the psychology of Mexico's business sector and involve cultural and political changes that cannot be rushed. President Lázaro Cardenas seized foreign oil company assets in 1938 to form Pemex, and it has served as a symbol of national identity.

Mexican state social investment depends to a great extent on the profits from the oil exports controlled by Pemex as a state monopoly. The leftist political movement Movimiento de Regeneración Nacional has expressed concern that Pemex will be systematically excluded as a commercial competitor by the government. They believe that Pemex's infrastructural decline was due to a deliberate strategy of self-sabotage by the government through lack of reinvestment, and fear that the Mexican oil rent may be taken over by private corporations. The leftist opposition is concerned that energy reform may be a concealed maneuver for privatization. They also worry that laws derived from the constitutional reforms are not explicit in demonstrating that energy reform will avoid having the oil rent be controlled by the private sector. There are questions as to how the Mexican system of public health, education and subsidized transportation (not to mention the newly created presidential fund for retirement and umemployment) would be funded if there is privatization of the oil rent.

NAFTA leaders U.S. President Barack Obama, Mexican President Peña Nieto, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, 2014

Also, if Peña Nieto wants to invite investment, he will have to face the challenges of union leaders and local officials who have largely benefited from the oil company's bonanza. Productivity in Pemex has been declining since 2004. Mexico has the 12th-largest oil reserves in the world, the 4th-largest shale gas deposits in the world (after Argentina, China, and the U.S.), and is the third-biggest U.S. supplier of oil, just behind Canada and Saudi Arabia respectively. Brazil's 21st-century oil success has shifted popular opinion to support of structural changes in Pemex. Peña Nieto declared while campaigning that overhauling Pemex will be the PRI's and his "signature issue," and that he will encourage private companies to invest in exploration and development activities.

In 2014, Peña Nieto announced an end to Pemex's monopoly, and inviting in both large and small private companies to the oil and gas industry. He said that in early 2015, more than 100 blocks would be auctioned for development. The government believes that changing technology will allow additional drilling in mature fields, such as those near Tampico, as well as larger fields likely offshore. This decision has received international coverage.

Televisa controversy

The Televisa controversy refers to a series of allegations published by the British newspaper The Guardian on June 2012 that claims Mexico's largest television network, Televisa, sold favorable coverage to top politicians in its news and entertainment shows. The documents presented by the newspaper allege that a secretive circle within Televisa manipulated its coverage to favor the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) presidential candidate, Enrique Peña Nieto, the candidate who was poised as favorite to win the 2012 Mexican presidential elections. The unit supposedly commissioned videos promoting Peña Nieto and lashing out his political rivals in 2009. The documents suggest that the team distributed such videos through e-mail, and then posted them on Facebook and YouTube, where some of them can still be seen. One of the documents is a PowerPoint presentation, and a slide explicitly takes an aim on Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the leftist candidate of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD).

While it has not been possible to confirm the authenticity of documents – which were given to the newspaper by a supposed employee of Televisa – dates, names, and events largely coincide. Televisa refused to talk about the documents, but denied that they had any relationship with the PRI and with its presidential candidate, saying that they had done an equal media coverage for all parties. Televisa also responded to The Guardian and published an article denying the accusations and showing the supposed discrepancies in the documents. And as the protest took pace, Televisa has covered the protests of Yo Soy 132 in detail. Televisa, the largest media network in the Spanish-speaking world, owns around two-thirds of the programmings in Mexico's TV channels. In Mexico, newspaper is tiny and research on the Internet and cable TV is largely limited to the middle classes; consequently, the country's two major television networks – Televisa and TV Azteca – exert a significant influence in national politics.

Yo Soy 132 movement

Main article: Yo Soy 132

Yo Soy 132 is an ongoing Mexican protest movement centered on the democratization of the country and its media. It began as opposition to the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) candidate Peña Nieto and the Mexican media's allegedly biased coverage of the 2012 general election.

On 11 May 2012, at a campaign event in the Ibero-American University, (a private middle-class and upscale university), Peña Nieto was lashed by most of the attendees, who expressed their strong opposition to his candidature and called him a murderer. Their protest was centered on the 2006 San Salvador Atenco incident, in which then-governor of the State of Mexico called in the state police to break up a protest by local residents. Two protesters were killed, and human rights groups have charged the police with numerous violations during those raids.

However, during the news conference, Peña Nieto defended his decision to use force in order to prevent an alleged greater evil. His answer inflamed the students, who started to chant the motto "Atenco is not forgotten" and allegedly forced Peña Nieto to retreat to a restroom before leaving the premises by the rear exit, according to the radio station of the Ibero-American University. Through the last part of the 2012 electoral campaigns, (and later that year), the movement led many student protests throughout Mexico.

Presidency (2012–present)

Presidential styles of Enrique Peña Nieto
Reference style	Señor Presidente de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos "Mr. President of the United Mexican States"
Spoken style	Presidente de Mexico "President of Mexico"
Alternative style	Señor Presidente "Mr. President"

Peña Nieto meeting Pope Francis at the papal inauguration

Peña Nieto was sworn in as president of Mexico on 1 December 2012 at Mexico's federal congress and later flew to a military parade to formally take control of the Mexican Armed Forces. During his inauguration speech at the National Palace, Peña Nieto proposed his agendas and reforms for the new administration. Before and after Peña Nieto's inauguration, protesters rioted outside of the national palace and clashed with Federal Police forces, vandalizing hotel structures and setting fires in the downtown area of Mexico City. More than 90 protesters were arrested and several were injured. Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard blamed anarchist groups for causing the violent outcomes. During these protests, however, there is evidence that agents of provocation worked with the police. Such individuals were paid 300 Mexican Pesos (about 20USD) for their acts of vandalism, according to media reports. Photos show the vandals waiting in groups behind police lines prior to the violence. Previous protests have been entirely peaceful, but on this occasion, in apparent response to violence, the police fired rubber bullets. In contrast to the protests, there were no public celebrations of the new presidency. The day after his inauguration, he announced the Pact for Mexico, an agreement that he had struck with the leaders of two other major parties about the government's goals for the next few years.

On 13 December 2012, a law was approved that included far-reaching security reforms. Mexico's Interior Ministry, greatly strengthened by the bill, has been made solely responsible for public security. A new gendarmerie, with an initial strength of 10,000, is being deployed to Mexico's most dangerous areas, while the Federal Police will be focusing on investigating crime. The Interior Ministry announced that 15 specialized police units were being formed to exclusively focus on major crimes that include kidnapping and extortion, along with a new task force dedicated to tracking down missing persons.

Economy

Peña Nieto and Takanobu Ito at the inauguration of the Honda plant in Celaya, Guanajuato on 21 February 2014.

The auto manufacturing industry expanded rapidly under Nieto's presidency. In 2014 alone, more than US$10 billion in investment in the sector was committed. The president in conjunction with Kia Motors in August 2014 announced plans for Kia to build a US$1 billion factory in Nuevo León. At the time Mercedes-Benz and Nissan were already building a US$1.4 billion plant near Puebla, while BMW was planning a US$1-billion assembly plant in San Luis Potosí. Additionally, Audi began building a US$1.3 billion factory near Puebla in 2013. As of December 2014, two years into Peña Nieto's term, total investment in the auto sector in Mexico had reached US$19 billion. The majority of this investment has been in the Bajío Region– the increasing auto production along with the rapidly expanding aerospace industry, have made the Bajío the fastest growing region in the country.

Pact for Mexico

The Pacto por México was a cross party alliance that called for the accomplishment of 95 goals. It was signed on 2 December 2012 by the leaders of the three main political parties in Chapultepec Castle. The Pact has been lauded by international pundits as an example for solving political gridlock and for effectively passing institutional reforms. Among other legislation, it called for education reform, banking reform, fiscal reform and telecommunications reform, all of which were eventually passed. Most importantly the Pact wanted a revaluation of PEMEX. This ultimately resulted in the dissolution of the agreement when in December 2013 the center-left PRD refused to collaborate with the legislation penned by the center-right PAN and PRI that ended PEMEX's monopoly and allowed for foreign investment in Mexico's oil industry.

Family and personal life

The Peña Nieto–Rivera family in Atlacomulco during the 2012 election day.

Peña Nieto was born in Atlacomulco, a city that is known for being the birthplace of many renowned politicians in Mexico, whose linkages extend for more than 100 years. Peña Nieto is related to four former governors in his home state. Through his mother, he is related to Arturo Montiel Rojas, who preceded him in office. Montiel Rojas' father was the mayor of Atlacomulco in 1971–72, the hometown of Peña Nieto. His grandfather was Enrique Nieto Montiel, who served as mayor of Atlacomulco from 1953–1954. Nieto Montiel was married to the sister of the Governor Salvador Sánchez Colín. A daughter from Peña Nieto's grandparents is the wife of the Governor Alfredo del Mazo González's cousin. Del Mazo, in turn, is the son of Alfredo del Mazo Vélez, the former governor of the State of Mexico from 1945–1951. Peña Nieto's brother was also the mayor of Atlacomulco from 1994 to 1996.

In 1993, Peña married his first wife, Mónica Pretelini (b. 1963) and the couple had three children: Paulina, Alejandro and Nicole. Pretelini died on 11 January 2007 as the result of an epileptic episode. During a political campaign in the State of Mexico in 2008, Peña Nieto hired the Televisa soap opera actress Angélica Rivera to publicize his government work. In the beginning, their relationship was discreet with many even describing it as contrived. The two would often be seen in restaurants, but in public, their displays of affection were timid. When Peña Nieto announced on television that he was involved in a romantic relationship with Angélica Rivera in 2008, the story became popular among politicians and celebrity press. After dating for some months and while on a trip to the Vatican City, Peña Nieto presented his engagement ring to Rivera. Pope Benedict XVI also blessed the couple. Peña Nieto and Rivera finally married on November 2011 in Toluca.

Peña Nieto has a son with Maritza Díaz Hernández, born in 2005 while he was married to Mónica Pretelini. He has said that he takes care of his son's material needs, but has little contact with him. During the same time period, Peña Nieto with an undisclosed partner conceived another son who died as an infant. On January 2012, Maritza Díaz Hernández published on Facebook that Peña Nieto is a neglectful father, in response to pledges by PRI to protect and support all Mexican children. Peña Nieto, however, said that he had provided for his child.

Peña Nieto had a health concern during July 2013 after a nodule was discovered on his thyroid gland. It was however deemed to be benign and was removed after he underwent surgery on 24 July 2013.

Public perception

French President François Hollande and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto in Paris; October 2012

Peña Nieto cabinet

Portfolio	Minister	Took office	Left office
President	Enrique Peña Nieto	2012	Incumbent
Secretary of Interior	Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong	2012	Incumbent
Chancellor	José Antonio Meade Kuribreña	2012	Incumbent
Secretary of Finance	Luis Videgaray Caso	2012	Incumbent
Secretary of Defense	Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda	2012	Incumbent
Secretary of the Navy	Vidal Francisco Soberón Sanz	2012	Incumbent
Secretary of Economy	Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal	2012	Incumbent
Secretary of Social Development	Rosario Robles	2012	Incumbent
Attorney General	Jesús Murillo Karam	2012	Incumbent
	Arely Gómez González	2015	Incumbent
Secretary of Public Security	Manuel Mondragón y Kalb	2012	Incumbent
Secretary of Civil Service	Julián Alfonso Olivas Ugalde	2012	Incumbent
Secretary of Communications and Transportation	Gerardo Ruiz Esparza	2012	Incumbent
Secretary of Labor	Alfonso Navarrete Prida	2012	Incumbent
Secretary of Environment	Juan José Guerra Abud	2012	Incumbent
Secretary of Energy	Pedro Joaquín Coldwell	2012	Incumbent
Secretary of Agriculture	Enrique Martínez y Martínez	2012	Incumbent
Secretary of Education	Emilio Chuayffet Chemor	2012	Incumbent
	Aurelio Nuño	2015	Incumbent
Secretary of Health	Mercedes Juan López	2012	Incumbent
Secretary of Tourism	Claudia Ruiz Massieu Salinas	2012	Incumbent
Secretary of Agrarian Reform	Jorge Carlos Ramírez Marín	2012	Incumbent
	Jesús Murillo Karam	2015	Incumbent
Legal Counsellor	Humberto Castillejos Cervantes	2012	Incumbent
*Died in office **Retained from previous administration

After ruling for most of the past century in Mexico, the return of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) has brought hope to those who gave the PRI another chance and fear to those who worry about the old PRI tactics of making deals with the cartels in exchange for relative peace. According to an article published by The Economist on 23 June 2012, part of the reason why Peña Nieto and the PRI were voted back to the presidency after a 12-year struggle lies in the disappointment of the rule of the National Action Party (PAN). Buffeted by China's economic growth and the economic recession in the United States, the annual growth of Mexico's economy between 2000 and 2012 was of 1.8%. Poverty exacerbated, and without a ruling majority in Congress, the PAN presidents were unable to pass structural reforms, leaving monopolies and Mexico's educational system unchanged. In 2006, Felipe Calderón chose to make the battle against organized crime the centerpiece of his presidency. Nonetheless, with over 60,000 dead, many Mexican citizens are tired of a fight they had first supported. The Economist alleges that these signs are "not as bad as they look," since Mexico is more democratic, it enjoys a competitive export market, has a well-run economy despite the crisis, and there are tentative signs that the violence in the country may be plummeting. But if voters want the PRI back, it is because "the alternatives [were] weak." The newspaper also alleges that Mexico's preferences should have gone left-wing, but the candidate that represented that movement – Andrés Manuel López Obrador – was seen with "disgraceful behavior." The conservative candidate, Josefina Vázquez Mota, was deemed worthy but was considered by The Economist to have carried out a "shambolic campaign." Thus, Peña Nieto wins by default and was considered by the newspaper as the "least bad choice" for reform in Mexico.

President Peña Nieto with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, 2015

According to The Guardian, Peña Nieto's "young, telegenic and impeccably smooth" image has helped gloss over the PRI's reputation of corruption and authoritarianism. Such views are rare in Mexico City, where the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) holds strong support. Throughout the political campaigns, Peña Nieto poised to steer his party back into power and was, according to the polls, the favorite to win the elections. Some of his adversaries, however, said that the "polls were manipulated" and that the PRI was taking advantage of the poor to gain votes, instead of relying on informed vote. Allegations of vote-buying for Peña Nieto were widespread, but the PRI responded by claiming that its rivals were merely questioning the legitimacy of their victory. The Yo Soy 132 student movement shook up the campaign, but it did not have a major impact on the opinion polls in favor of Peña Nieto. Other media outlets like CBS News have stated that Peña Nieto is the "new face of the old guard," while several American officials fear that his security strategy may mean returning to the old PRI tactics of "corruption [and] backroom deals" with the cartels to bring peace to the country.

In an article written by Los Angeles Times on 9 July 2012, Peña Nieto is described as a "man of mystery" whose real convictions – as perceived in the eyes of many Mexicans – remain in doubt. To some, the PRI politician is simply a creation of the party's cabal and of Mexico's omnipresent and key television network, Televisa. His cipher-like aspect, along with his steady rise to the presidency, reinforced that opinion. Yet, other observers note that Peña Nieto was smart enough "to know what he doesn't know" and surround himself with sharp politicians educated at places like Harvard University and MIT.

Ayotzinapa

The 2014 Iguala mass kidnapping of 43 students has arguably become the biggest political and public security conflict during the administration of Peña Nieto, leading to massive nationwide protests and international condemnation.

On 26 September 2014, 43 male students from the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Teachers' College of Ayotzinapa went missing in Iguala, Guerrero. According to official reports, they had travelled to Iguala to hijack buses in order to attend the anniversary march of the 1968 student massacre in Tlatelolco. Mayor Jose Luis Abarca, presumably ordered the municipal police to confront the students in order to avoid the disruption of an event centered on a speech his wife was giving, designed to promote her bid to replace him as mayor in the next elections. Police first opened fire on the buses carrying the students in a series of attacks that left six people dead. The rest of the students were arrested and handed over to members of a local drug gang called Guerreros Unidos, which operates in the Iguala area and presumably controls the municipal police. The students’ disappearance highlighted the degree of collusion of some authorities around Mexico with organised crime and has led to massive protests in the country and international condemnation.

House scandal

The white house scandal refers to a journalistic report that revealed that first lady Angelica Rivera´s $7 million house in Lomas de Chapultepec in Mexico City was registered under the name of a construction company property of Juan Armando Hinojosa Cantú that received contracts in the state of Mexico when Enrique Peña Nieto was governor. With Peña Nieto as president, a subsidiary of the same company was also awarded part of a huge contract to build a high-speed train from Mexico City to Querétaro. The contract was later cancelled amid protests regarding the bidding process. The revelation about the potential conflict of interest in the acquisition of the house aggravated discontent about the government's handling of the disappearance and apparent massacre of 43 trainee teachers by a drug gang working with corrupt police and government officers in Guerrero. Rivera released a video in which she detailed her income as a former soap opera actress, stating that she was selling the house and that the property was not under her name because she had not made the full payment yet. However, Enrique Peña Nieto has failed to address the potential conflict of interest in spite of constant demands by the Mexican citizens, media and senators from the opposition. The white house scandal triggered yet another scandal as Peña Nieto has been linked to another house owned by Juan Armando Hinojosa Cantú, owner of Grupo Higa. The house was used during the Presidential campaign in 2012 and a few times once he was already elected President. The official statement from the President's office, however, claims that the house was used only a few times for meetings and not when he was already President. An article published on Aristegui Noticias provided evidence that the house was indeed used by Peña Nieto after the election.

Media mistakes

Besides his political career, Enrique Peña Nieto has been known for his repeated mistakes during public events or interviews. The most noted incident occurred during the International Book Fair of Guadalajara on 3 December 2011. On that day, during a question and answer session, he was asked by an audience member to name three books that had influenced him, being only able to correctly reference the Bible. He then "rambled, tossing out confused title names, asking for help in recalling authors and sometimes mismatching" the two others. Other incidents have involved him not being able to recall Benito Juarez's year of birth, being unable to remember the acronym of the Federal Institute of Access to Information (IFAI), changing the date of foundation of the state of Hidalgo, mistaking the capital of the State of Veracruz, among others, of varying degree of substantiation or credibility. However, they have become viral on social media (especially on Twitter), and even a website that counts the number of days between his last gaffe, and his (presumed) next one.

Orders

• National Order of Juan Mora Fernández, Grand Cross with Gold Plaque, awarded by Laura Chinchilla on 19 February 2013.
• Order of Prince Henry, Grand Collar, awarded by Cavaco Silva on 2 June 2014
• Order of Isabella the Catholic, Grand Cross with Collar, awarded by King Juan Carlos I of Spain on 6 June 2014.
• Order of the Sun of Peru, Grand Collar, awarded by Ollanta Humala on 17 July 2014.
• Order of the Bath, Knight Grand Cross, awarded by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom on 3 March 2015.
• Order of Charles III, Grand Cross with Collar, awarded by King Felipe VI of Spain on 20 June 2015.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Enrique Peña Nieto

8. Severiano Peña                       17. Jose ortega               4. Arturo Peña Arcos                             9. ? Arcos                       2. Gilberto Enrique Peña del Mazo                                   20. Galo del Mazo y Conde               10. Pedro del Mazo Villasante                       21. Mercedes Villasante y Pliego               5. Dolores del Mazo Vélez                             22. Antonio Vélez Flores               11. Josefa Vélez Díaz                       23. María Marta Julita Margarita Díaz Ortega               1. Enrique Peña Nieto                                         12. Marcelino Nieto                       6. Constantino Enrique Nieto Montiel                             26. León Montiel Sánchez               13. Efigenia Diana Montiel Sánchez                       27. María Sánchez               3. María del Socorro Ofelia Nieto Sánchez                                   28. ? Sánchez               14. Silvano Sánchez Lovera                       29. ? Lovera               7. Ofelia Sánchez Colín                             30. ? Colín               15. María Colín Pérez                       31. ? Pérez

See also

• Mexican general election, 2012
• State of Mexico election, 2005
• Peñabots

External links

• Enrique Peña Nieto, Biografía — CIDOB Foundation (Spanish)
• Enrique Peña Nieto — Personal blog of Enrique Peña Nieto (Spanish)
• Las 7 reformas que propone Peña Nieto para México — CNNMéxico (Spanish)
• Mexico Elections: Institutional Revolutionary Party Candidate Enrique Pena Nieto Wins Presidency – The Huffington Post

Political offices
Preceded by Arturo Montiel	Governor of the State of Mexico 2005–2011	Succeeded by Eruviel Ávila
Preceded by Felipe Calderón	President of Mexico 2012–present	Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Roberto Madrazo	Institutional Revolutionary Party nominee for President of Mexico 2012	Most recent