By Nancy Caouette
MEXICO
President Enrique Pena Nieto said Tuesday that the ongoing protests over the disappearances of 43 students from southern Mexico have the “intent to destabilize" the country and the reforms he is pushing.
“The purpose of some protests is not clear. I perceived the reason is to generate social disorder and to destroy the reform projects that we are building," he said during a press conference.
Specifically, Pena Nieto was referring to his Pact for Mexico, a national political agreement with opposition parties that was signed in late 2012. The pact includes several constitutional reforms, including financial, education and energy reforms.
But the missing students, last seen Sept. 26 after clashing with police in Iguala, about 120 miles south of Mexico City, has damaged the president’s credibility who claimed a reduced crime rate since coming into office.
The case, which revealed strong connections between local and state government officials and drug cartels, has been the most difficult political crisis for Pena Nieto since taking office in 2012.
The president also addressed a scandal that erupted while he was on a foreign tour last week.
An investigation by Mexican news website Arestegui Noticias found that a house that Mexico’s first lady owns in Mexico City, valued at more than $ 7 million, belongs to Grupo Higa, a construction firm.
The firm is linked to a Chinese-led consortium that received a $3.7 billion contract from the Pena Nieto administration to build the first high-speed rail in Mexico.
Pena Nieto surprised Chinese investors when he cancelled the contract Nov. 6, citing his need to address favouritism accusations.
Reports about the house in Mexico City, that have raised question about a possible conflict of interest, have led to "countless versions and falsehoods,” Pena Nieto said but he promised that his wife, Angelica Rivera, will clarify the circumstances surrounding the multimillion dollar mansion.
“I hope that the clarifications that my wife will personally formulate can make clear how it was that this property came about, something that was done based on her work,” he said while visibly irritated.
The president added that his wife, a former soap opera star, worked for more than 25 years to build her own savings and economical independence.
www.aa.com.tr/en
