Enrique Peña Nieto Is Mexico’s New President
Enrique Peña Nieto of the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) has won the Mexican presidential election, beating out Andres Lopez Manuel Obrador of the Leftist Party with a plurality of 38 percent of the vote. The election of Peña Nieto signifies Mexico’s frustration with the weak agenda of current president Felipe Calderrón of the PAN (National Action Party). As the Washington Post reports, this is the first time in 12 years that PRI has controlled Mexico’s executive branch. Once a party known for political corruption and foul play, Peña Nieto was steadfast in his victory speech that there was “no going back” to the ruling style of his PRI predecessors, favoring a style of “modern, democratic, and transparent” presidency. According to the Washington Post, this election had the largest voter turnout in Mexican history, as over 49 million people–around 62 percent–of the population voted.
