Word: lopezes
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...With reporting by Virginia Lopez / Caracas...
...This reform cedes great chunks of our territory to foreign companies," Lopez Obrador told Congress on Tuesday, just before the final vote on the law. "Mexico should go on being a free, independent and sovereign country. We do not want to become a colony...
Spearheading the opposition was Calderon's old nemesis Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a silvery-haired leftist who lost the 2006 presidential election to the conservative by a whisker. Lopez Obrador contended that Calderon had been spuriously placed in power so he could loot Mexico's treasure trove of black gold, which provides the federal government with 40% of its budget. When Calderon tried to push through reform in the spring, Lopez Obrador directed lawmakers from his party to occupy the podiums of Congress for several weeks, until the government conceded to a national debate. After a Congressional commission finally hammered...
Calderon finally got his reform through by forging an alliance with the moderate wing of Lopez Obrador's party, some of whom have accused the leftist leader of being too authoritarian and confrontational. Following a series of backdoor meetings, the majority of leftist lawmakers not only ignored calls to blockade the podium again but actually voted in favor of the bill. The result was thus seen as a major political victory for the president, who built a consensus on a difficult issue and isolated the hard left. "With this reform the national economy wins; all Mexicans win," Calderon said...
...everyone is optimistic about Mexico's future following the reform. Political analyst Federico Estevez said that it could be too little, too late and lead to major losses in oil revenue before more radical legislation is implemented. Furthermore, he said that far from becoming isolated, Lopez Obrador and the hard left have kept themselves in a powerful strategic position if the global economic woes hit Mexico hard. "Lopez Obrador is sitting pretty for when things go bad for the economy here - and they will go bad," Estevez said. "If people lose their jobs, they are not going to care that...