This year will be a very important year for Mexico since it brings the opportunity for change with the presidential election. The past six years have not been very progressive despite strong campaign promises from the current Mexican President, Enrique Peña Nieto. Enrique Peña Nieto has faced several controversies, his first occurred when he was running for office. During his campaign with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), he was accused of paying television network giant Televisa to show favorable ads about him, while making his opponent look bad. The PRI was in power in Mexico for 71 years straight from 1929-2000. Many Mexican citizens believed that the PRI was sabotaging votes in order to get members of their party to hold office.1
Peña Nieto’s cheating strategies can be traced back to when he was attending Panamerican University.2 He was accused of plagiarizing one of his assignments back in 1991. That was only the beginning of multiple problems that Peña Nieto would face. Two of his biggest campaign promises were to end corruption and stop violence. These promises were not fulfilled and in fact both violence and corruption have become worse. Each year, thousands of people are murdered or kidnapped in Mexico, two of the standards ways drug cartels operate. On September 26, 2014 a group of 43 students went missing in the small town of Iguala, located in Guerrero, Mexico. These students were the victims of corruption and violence that takes place in Mexico every day. The 43 students who were kidnapped were studying to become school teachers. The mayor of Iguala and the police were involved with drug traffickers and are seen as responsible for the kidnappings. There are several theories as to what may have happened to the 43 missing students and why it happened. Family members of the missing students believe that the students are still alive and that the police do not want them to know. A theory as to why the students went missing is that the mayor’s wife was giving a speech that same day and that the mayor was worried the students would protest during her speech. Therefore, the mayor ordered the police to stop the buses that were carrying theses students and forced them to get into their police cruisers. Once they had the students, the police officers turned them over to local drug cartel to be executed. The reason for the kidnappings, however, has not been confirmed, but the mayor’s arrest along with local law enforcement makes this theory believable. President Peña Nieto’s efforts to end corruption have clearly failed in this situation which resulted in 43 students missing for the past 4 years.3
Another example of corruption is the escape of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman who was considered the biggest drug lord in the world at the time of his arrest. He was so powerful and was on the US most wanted list. The U.S offered a 5 million dollars reward for information that would lead to his capture. El Chapo was captured for the second time on Feb 22, 2014 in Mazatlan, Sinaloa. This victory for justice in Mexico was short lived and on June 11, 2015 El Chapo escaped once again from prison through a tunnel that was built by members of his Sinaloa cartel. Prison guards were involved in the escape which demonstrates how corrupt Mexico is.4 The level of federal corruption has surpassed the local corruption at this point. Many elected officials have been involved in various scandals in recent years. Javier Duarte, a former Mexican governor, was arrested last year after being on the run for corruption charges. He is one of 17 officials who have been under investigation since the start of the century, the 43 missing students and the escape of the most powerful drug lord show that corruption goes deeper than paying off a local cop to avoid a speeding ticket.5 Peña Nieto has been unable to stop or even impede drug cartels, who feed the corruption and violence in Mexico. Instead of focusing on these issues, he has taken advantage of his own elected office to give government contracts to companies with which he has strong ties. Grupo Higa was the group from which Peña Nieto’s wife bought a mansion for an estimated 7 million dollars, that same group received numerous government contracts worth millions.6
Violence and Corruption are not the only issues that trouble Mexico. Lack of education and the level of poverty are extremely high in Mexico, with 50 million people living in poverty who make up 40% of the population. Children are often required to work instead of going to school, 20% of teenagers from ages 15-19 do not go to school but work instead.7 Mexican citizens believed in Peña Nieto when he first got elected, his approval rating was a respectable 61%. Peña Nieto’s approval rating fell drastically to 28% in 2018 after everything that happened in the country in the past 6 years.8 The Mexican government has been paralyzed by corruption for many years now and it seems that it will continue this way for future years to come unless an honorable candidate gets elected during this upcoming election. Mexico has the potential to be a great country; it is a big trade partner with the U.S and attracts many tourists to its lovely beaches and historical pyramids along each of its coasts. Mexican officials should stop trying to make easy money for themselves and focus more on serving their community. The government must start by paying its law enforcement a living wage and increasing the salary for the military too. Mexico can do this by raising taxes in its states. A big problem in Mexico is that law enforcement does not get paid enough and they tend to take bribes because they are tired of living in poverty while risking their lives against drug cartel members who have bigger and better weapons than them. Mexican police officers and military personnel must also be held responsible for being corrupt and an example should be made of anyone who is found guilty of corruption within the government. The citizens of Mexico deserve better and change must start with the president. As of now no candidate has mentioned a plan to combat drug trafficking however Mexico’s front runner Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has vowed to make changes to end violence in Mexico. Despite not mentioning any of his tactics to combat violence in the city, Obrador has mentioned that he will not follow the same techniques as past presidents. He has also promised to end violence in Mexico in half his term.9 One can only hope that the next president’ promises will be kept, by whoever comes into office.
- Carol Brennan, Laura Avery, Pena Nieto, Enrique (Farmington Hills, MI: Newsmakers 2014 cumulation, 2014), 371-372. ↵
- Salem Press Bio Encyclopedia, 2015, s.v.”Enrique Pena Nieto,” by Micah Issitt. ↵
- Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, 2017, s.v. “Mexico,” by Funk and Wagnalls. ↵
- Tessa Berenson, “Timeline of El Chapo’s Major Escapes and Captures,” Times, Jan 8, 2016. Accessed April 15, 2018. http://time.com/4173454/el-chapo-capture-escape-timeline/. ↵
- Elizabeth Malkin,” Corruption at a level of audacity, Never seen in Mexico,” New York Times, April 19, 2017, accessed April 19, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/19/world/americas/in-mexico-mounting-misdeeds-but-governors-escape-justice.html. ↵
- Jo Tuckman, ” Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto faces outcry over £4.4m mansion,” The Guardian, Nov 10, 2014. Accessed April 15, 2018. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/10/mexico-president-enrique-pena-nieto-mansion-explain. ↵
- Cheri Spence,” The chance to learn,” Childfund Org, Mar 25, 2013. Accessed April 29, 2018. https://www.childfund.org/Content/NewsDetail/2147489378/. ↵
- Asad Ismi, “A Nation On The Brink,” Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Monitor, no. 1 (Jan 2018): 1-2. ↵
- Jose Belmont, “AMLO promote acabar con el narco en 3 anos,” Millenio Noticias, Jan 2, 2018. Accessed April 29, 2018. http://www.milenio.com/elecciones-mexico-2018/amlo-yucatan-presidente-morena-elecciones-lopez-obrador-2018-milenio-noticias_0_1096090501.html. ↵
70 comments
Dylan Coons
Like most Americans, I’m pretty oblivious to the world of politics outside of the United States. So, this article was informative. I knew that Mexico’s current president was not the most popular guy, but had no idea how much controversy surrounded his election. I knew corruption on the local level was a huge problem but had no idea it was so bad on the federal level.
Yadira Chavez
This is a great article! Originating from the border town of El Paso, we hear a lot about what is going on with our neighbors in mexico, and my whole life i have heard horrible things about Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. I am so shocked at his history of bribery and carelessness about the need for order in his own country. After so many mistakes, i cannot believe he has lasted so long, and i am relieved his term is due this year.
Alexis Martinez
Most of my family either lives in Mexico or is from there so I knew a little bit about this before reading the article. After reading this and learning more about all the details it just breaks my heart. I think the author did a great job depicting Nieto’s ignorance throughout his entire presidency and the harm he caused to the country.
Jorge Martinez
It is pretty sad to see the country that most of my family is from so corrupted. I pride myself because of my Mexican roots, but reading this article just hurt it. I hope whoever replaces this unworthy president that they can do their country justice and respond to each of its needs. I usually do not pay any attention to the politics, but this is something I might I have to focus on.
John Smith
I feel for Mexico, any legitimacy in their government is in shambles. From what the article says I don’t believe that Nieto is the best president for Mexico at the time, but only because he has not fulfilled his promise to end corruption. I’m not even sure one man could purge such a corrupt government, but as a public figure, you should keep your promises as best as possible.
Rosa Castillo
The article is informative in terms of the corruption within Mexico’s government. I like how you highlight key events that are definitive of Mexico’s corruption. However, the title is about Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, I expected to read more content about him and his wrong doings as president. I do appreciate the extra knowledge you added in to create great context for your article, but I was just thrown off due to your title. Overall a well written article.
kendrick Harrison
This was my first-time hearing of President Nieto, so I came into this read with an open mind. However, it didn’t take long for me to get the impression that the author was being unfair with their arguments against the president. That is not to say that Nieto is free of fault in falling short with his promises, however I just don’t see (with the arguments presented) how the burden falls entirely on him.
For starters the author, Julio Morales, explains that Nieto possibly paid a television network to show favorable ads of him during the election. Maybe my perception is skewed because stuff like that is common here in the United States, but this didn’t strike me as being anything unexpected. I personally would prefer a system where the amount of money a candidate has does not affect their chances of a successful campaign, maybe if there was a fixed budget that no one could exceed (or something along those lines), however I wouldn’t chalk this type of stuff up to corruption.
The next example goes back to when Nieto was in college. The author says the president to be was “accused of plagiarizing one of his assignments”. Why is this in here? You aren’t guilty of something simply because someone accuses you of it, but even if he was in this situation, it’s a stretch. Believing that a person is likely taking bribes from the cartel, because he or she allegedly plagiarized once in college (many years ago) is silly.
Mr. Morales explains that President Nieto made promises to combat against corruption and violence in Mexico, yet both categories worsened while he was in office. He gives an example of corruption involving a mayor, police officers, and the cartel, and says violence it falls back on the president. While the story of the students all missing is scary and a reason to believe corruption exists, it doesn’t point to the president or his policies. The author doesn’t explain how the president could’ve changed the outcome or how his polices allowed this kind of stuff to flourish. Ans as far as I know, the president’s promises could’ve been entirely sincere, and he could’ve given it his best try. If the corruption is too widespread, there might not be anything one person can do (even if he or she is the president).
Maybe Mexico needs another president, maybe Nieto was corrupt or gave weigh to the consequences of fighting back. I don’t care how you cut it, no president is going to fix the entire system alone. The people of Mexico need to create the change they want.
Enrique Segovia
The article successfully depicts the mishaps in Enrique Peña Nieto’s presidency in such a way that it leaves the reader wishful for a change. Alongside all the Mexican corruption and violence, Nieto’s ignorance and incompetence is demonstrated; El Chapo’s escape, the 43 missing students, and the poverty are just a few bricks in Nieto’s enormous wall of failures as the Mexican president. As a Salvadoran, I can confirm that the ambient of corruption and violence affects countries in many ways, and the people expect leaders- such as the president, to bring about changes that will benefit them, not make things worse, like in Nieto’s case. With respect to his diminished likeability from his fellow Mexicans, it was evident that the multiple negative situations that arose during his presidency made him less popular. Anyhow, for the sake of Mexico, high expectations for Obrador remain unpolished as his presidency commences.
Montserrat Moreno Ramirez
Even though is sad to admit, in this article is expressed the ugly truth of a beautiful country, the article focuses on the many flaws of Mexico’s government and the main one is the president of Mexico that since College has been caught making dishonest things such as plagiarism, taking bribes, making business or having relationships with drug lords, etc. which can be related to the country’s corruption which leads to several other problems and situations that endangers the quality life in Mexico such as narcotics, violence, poor education among others.
Greyson Addicott
The article I’ve just read was refreshingly decentralized. Indeed, instead of focusing purely on Peña Nieto, it actually shines much needed light on the horrible state of Mexico. In a way, it is an article that shows us why we should try to keep a mutual understanding of the nations around us. Of course, that is not tot say that we should try to send financial aid to Mexico, (the federal government there would surely just use it to harm the people further) just that our international actions need to take our neighbors into consideration. All in all, the article was a good window into the politics of what was so recently a colony of Spain.