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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | July 2005 
López Obrador Sets Out Agenda
 Fabiola Cancino & Jorge Ramos - El Universal
| | México City Mayor Andrés Manuel López Obrador |
Though still not his party's formal candidate, México City Mayor Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Sunday made public a 50-point platform for his presidential campaign.
Speaking to more than 5,000 supporters gathered at the capital's Metropolitan Theater López Obrador outlined plans to combat poverty, stimulate economic growth and generate jobs.
Among the 50 specific promises, López Obrador pledged to modernize the energy sector without privatizing either electricity or petroleum production. Furthermore, he said he would seek to eliminate Mexico's petroleum imports within 3 years.
His address Sunday also included promises to create 400,000 jobs, stimulate residential construction and extend pensions for the elderly across the country.
In addition, the mayor said he would live up to past promises to the nation's indigenous population.
"We must recognize the rights of the indigenous communities, and I will fulfill the commitments made in the San Andrés Larráinzar accords," he said, referring to agreements negotiated in 1996 between the government and the EZLN (Zapatista Army for National Liberation), but that were never fully signed into law.
While López Obrador said he would not raise taxes nor apply sales tax to medicine or groceries, he did commit to improving the tax collection systems currently in place as a way to augment the federal budget.
However, he also spoke of budget discipline and repeated an earlier promise that he would eliminate the generous pensions awarded to ex-presidents.
Though his lead has decreased slightly in recent polls, López Obrador remains the preferred candidate among potential voters in the 2006 presidential race.
Vicente Fox, the clear favorite in advance of 2000 elections, also made a number of ambitious promises to invigorate the economy and create jobs. His inability to fulfill those promises has haunted him as president.
Although the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) still must complete an internal process to nominate López Obrador as the official presidential candidate for the party in 2006, at this point there are no other significant competitors within the PRD's rank.
The mayor plans to step down from his current post at the end of the month to focus on his presidential campaign. On Sunday he announced that he would begin a national tour starting August 11 in Tijuana and Baja California, and then continue down the Pacific coast.
Material from AP contributed to this report |
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