After a brutal rape case in Acapulco shook Mexico on February 4, President Pena Nieto has pledged to create a new militarized police force to ensure the safety of locals and tourists in the popular holiday resort.

The case, involving six Spanish women who were raped in a rented beach house by masked gunmen, was astonishing even for Guerrero, with its high level of crime. Only one woman managed to avoid assault by saying that she was Mexican. According to Fox News, it is yet to be confirmed if the Spaniards were targeted because of their nationality. The UK newspaper The Guardian said “Mexican local authorities determine if organised criminal are behind an attack, and, if so, pass the case to federal authorities.”

Up until now, however, the government did very little to help the victims. Acapulco Major Luis Walt downplayed  the crime, saying “It could have happened anywhere in the world.” Even though Walt later apologized for his comment, it looks like he was more concerned about the image of Acapulco rather than the raped women.

Freelance writer Phillippe Diederich pointed out “It is too easy for six Spanish women, or 60,000 dead Mexicans to become a statistic used by politicians and the media… Governments need to allocate resources toward prevention, security, victim advocacy and education about violent crimes against women.”

President Pena Nieto has continuously underlined the importance of the security problem. Right after his election in December, the President communicated a plan to strengthen security by dividing the country into five security regions and improve the coordination of law enforcement  In addition, the President committed to switching the focus from punishing crime to preventing it. It was obvious that the implementation of measures could not be done in a few months; however, the issue is now how much time it will take and how many people will become the victims before results are achieved. Pena Nieto claims that the government is working to improve the conditions for public security, but he has not provides any time frame.

On February 12, the government announced its second anti-crime plan. Focusing on the 251 most violent towns, $9.2 billion will be spent on preventing young people from joining criminal organizations. The measures include improving health and social services, creating additional jobs and increasing the number of schools. The following day, Pena claimed that the tourism policy can only be successful when the measures of security are implemented. The National Tourism Policy for 2013-2018, presented on February 13, includes four directions: legislative and sectoral transformation, development and promotion; and sustainability and social well-being.

Does it mean that tourists have to wait until after the policy has been implemented to visit Mexico? Choosing the right state can be an alternative solution. According to the Economist, Yucatán, with its famous resorts Cancun and Riviera Maya, is as safe as Finland. Oaxaca, Veracruz and Pueblo also exhibit low levels of crime, while Guerrero, with its capital Acapulco, remains one of the most dangerous, with a murder rate of more than 2100 people per year.

In addition to increasing expenditures on security, Pena Nieto promised to create a comprehensive security environment and grow confidence for travelers in the country by working on infrastracture and improving medical services.

Image Courtesy : World Economic Forum

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The PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) candidate, Enrique Peña Nieto has been elected the new Mexican President. According to the examination of the votes Nieto got between 37.9% and 38.5% of the votes against 30.9% and 31.8% that the left wing candidate, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, has reached. The right wing aspirant Josefina Vázquez Mota got 25.4% of the votes.

With these results, PRI is back in power after the 12 year period that the PAN conservative party has ruled in Mexico. Around 49 million Mexicans voted on Sunday 30th to make this change, that will bring the PRI back to power. The PRI ruled for 71 years in a row, from 1929 up to 2000.

Peña Nieto became the new Mexican president minutes after the provisional score was made public: “I take with great emotion and a great sense of commitment and full responsibility the mandate Mexicans have granted me today,” Peña Nieto told the citizens that were waiting for his speech.

The new president made an ambitious speech where he remembered that the PRI’s victory is the one from the entire Mexican population: “…I reiterate what I have already said in this very hall during the campaign; whoever does not show a firm commitment to democracy, personal liberties and transparency, has no place in this project to transform Mexico. We are a new generation. We will not return to the past. My government will have its eyes set on the future. Mexico has already changed.”

Peña Nieto’s strongest points during the campaign have been priority for economic growth, job creation and the alleviation of poverty across Mexico. He also promised to pay attention to social issues, to continue the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime, and also to recovery their hegemony in Latin America.

This 2012 Mexican election has been wrapped in controversy since its beginning until its end. Political opposition and citizens in social media have complained during the last months about how unfair elections were, due to the money that PRI has spent during the elections and the media support they received. They accused PRI for spending almost double the top money allowed that the electoral law establishes for the elections.

Today the polemic is different. The final count will not be done until this Wednesday, so the left wing candidate Lopez Obrador has not accepted PRI’s victory, despite the fact that the results seem pretty clear. He said that until the final count takes place they cannot recognize anyone as the new President. Therefore, his attitude leaves the country in a political limbo. Lopez Obrador, started his speech at the same time as the former President Felipe Calderon was congratulating the new President. Lopez Obrador said that “last word has not been yet said, we will have to wait until the entire scrutiny is finished to recognize the PRI victory”.

According to different journalist, the PRI has won due to some factors such as good organization during the elections, Peña Nieto’s telegenic image, and the calls for democracy that he has been making, as long as the deception that the PAN has resulted for the last legislature.

Former President Felipe Calderon did not solve the drug trafficking problem, which has led his party to become the third most popular after the PRI and the left PM. During Calderon’s presidency, beginning in 2006, more than 55,000 citizens have been murdered.

Image Courtesy of  Enrique Peña Nieto

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