Mexican president's independence cry gets a testy response

Midway through his six-year term, President Enrique Peña Nieto faces low approval ratings. But his reform agenda has been more successful than his popularity may suggest. 

|
Edgard Garrido/Reuters
Mexico's President Enrique Peña Nieto sings the national anthem after he shouted the 'Cry of Independence' as Mexico marks the 205th anniversary of the day rebel priest Manuel Hidalgo set it on the path to independence, in Mexico City September 15, 2015. Mexico celebrates the anniversary of its independence from Spain on September 16.

Thousands of Mexicans peered up toward the balcony of the National Palace late Tuesday night and erupted into a cacophony of shouts.

“Viva!” the revelers screamed, many decked out in the red, white, and green of the Mexican flag. “Viva Mexico!”

"El Grito," a call and response led by Mexico's president, rings in Mexico’s independence day of Sept. 16. The ear-piercing tradition harks back 205 years to revolutionary leader Miguel Hidalgo’s call for Mexicans to revolt against Spanish colonial rule.

This year's celebration was typically festive – with music, fireworks, kids sporting fake mustaches, and the president waving the flag and honoring the leaders of Mexico’s battle for independence. But it also underscored Mexicans' deep disillusionment with their current leader.

A social-media campaign leading up to El Grito called for people to boycott the event. And some in the crowd last night booed at President Enrique Peña Nieto’s balcony entrance, a discourtesy that caught some by surprise, including construction worker Fernando Garcia Hernandez.

Ricardo Noriega, an accountant who says the administration has given the country plenty to shout about – in frustration – was blunt about his participation in the revelry: “We are here to celebrate Mexico, not for the president."

From the blundering investigation into the disappearance of 43 college students, to a weak economy and the embarrassing escape of a high-profile criminal, El Chapo, Peña Nieto has earned himself one of the lowest presidential approval ratings in more than a decade. 

According to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, favorable views of the president fell from 51 percent in 2014 to 44 percent today. The approval is even lower on hot-button issues like the government's management of security (35 percent approval), the economy (34 percent), and education reform (43 percent).

The lack of public support is undeniable but mostly a "symbolic problem", says Aldo Muñoz, political scientist at Mexico State’s Autonomous University. The government’s ruling coalition still has a majority in Congress. Peña Nieto isn't seeking reelection, so the main political risk is what his unpopularity may mean for his party come 2016 legislative elections, or more importantly, the 2018 presidential race.

Peña Nieto has taken steps to reenergize his presidency, including a cabinet shuffle in late August. And earlier this month, during his state-of-the nation address, he urged citizens to stick together and stay on course.

“Where there is intolerance, demagoguery, or populism, nations far from reaching the change they aspire to, find division and setbacks," he said.

“In terms of his legacy, he may well be remembered as one of the least popular presidents,” says Duncan Wood, who runs the Mexico Institute at the Washington-based Wilson Center. But his mark on public policy is another story, Mr. Wood says. Since taking office in 2012, Peña Nieto has ushered through a series of landmark constitutional reforms to sectors like telecommunications, energy, and education.

“Some of the most important reforms he brought won’t have results in the short or medium term,” adds Muñoz.

Leaving the Zocalo after the late-night firework display, Diana Ramirez says, “I love my country no matter who is president.”

Certainly Peña Nieto could be doing his job better, she says, “but I have faith in [my] dear Mexico.”   

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Mexican president's independence cry gets a testy response
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2015/0916/Mexican-president-s-independence-cry-gets-a-testy-response
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe