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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | March 2006 
López Obrador: Reliance on U.S. Gas to Stop
 Wire services/El Universal
| | An elderly woman holds up a poster of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, presidential candidate from Mexico's left-wing Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), during a meeting in Mexico City February 26, 2006. Obrador is leading polls ahead of Mexico's July 2 elections, albeit by a smaller margin than a month ago. (Reuters/Henry Romero) |
Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the frontrunner in presidential polls for more than two years, pledged to halt natural gas and gasoline imports from the United States. "Within three years, it´s our promise and goal to stop importing natural gas and gasoline," López Obrador said during a Mexico City economy conference.
López Obrador called the country´s failure to build new refineries to reduce its dependence on imported fuel "criminal." Mexico, the world´s third-largest oil producer, is a net importer of gasoline and natural gas from the United States.
López Obrador accused past administrations of neglecting to modernize Petróleos Mexicanos SA, the state oil monopoly, in order to justify its privatization.
The candidate from the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) also promised to boost infrastructure spending on projects ranging from highways to universities.
"This will be the primary source of jobs, well-being and development," he said.
ECONOMIC SECURITY
If elected López Obrador said he would seek to maintain the economic achievements of President Vicente Fox such as record low inflation.
López Obrador, formerly mayor of Mexico City, widened his lead in a February poll by Consulta Mitofsky.
He edged higher with 39.4 percent of likely voters saying he´d get their vote if elections were "held today." In January López Obrador led with 38.7 percent.
Former Energy Secretary Felipe Calderón, of President Fox´s National Action Party, or PAN, slipped to 29.8 percent from 31 percent in January polls. Former Tabasco Governor Roberto Madrazo of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which held Mexico´s presidency for 71 years until 2000, dropped to 27.5 percent from 29.2 percent last month. |
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