When Felipe Calderón was elected President six years ago, he declared a military offensive against Mexico's murderous drug cartels. Since then, 50,000 people have died. Calderón's term is over and he is barred from seeking a second six-year term. Former President Vicente Fox has called for drug legalization, and although all three major candidates in the July election have pledged to reduce the violence, none has been specific so early in a three-month campaign. Enrique Peña Nieto, the leading candidate, belongs to the PRI, which ran the country for 70 years; Calderón's conservative PAN party is running Josefina Vázquez Mota, the first woman candidate of a major party; and the left-leaning PRD has nominated Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the former Mayor of Mexico City. We hear about a nation of disillusioned voters, and what the election results could mean for the US.
Mexico's Presidential Election and the War on Drugs
Credits
Guests:
- David Luhnow - Wall Street Journal
- Andres Rozental - veteran career diplomat in Mexico
- John Ackerman - National Autonomous University of Mexico - @JohnMAckerman
- Mark Kleiman - New York University - @MarkARKleiman