MEXICO- Mexican president elect, Enrique Peña Nieto, presented today a large transition team of 46 collaborators that will work with Felipe Calderón's cabinet to arrange his arrival to the presidential chair, expected on December 01.
Peña Nieto, representative of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), placed the biggest responsibilities for the next three months on two general managements led by Luis Videgaray, his former campaign coordinator, and Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong, former governor of Hidalgo.
"The electoral process has concluded and today I'm focused in the actions, programs and politics that the Government of the Republic will implement next December," explained the politician during a conference he held in a hotel where no questions were allowed.
The two supports of the team are Videgaray, appointed Government Transition coordinator under who three vice-coordinators will work; and Osorio Chong, in charge of Political Dialog and Security, who will be responsible for two vice-coordinators.
"I am firmly committed and fully dedicated to the next Government of the Republic living up to the challenges Mexico faces today," said Peña Nieto when he presented his team.
The PRI representative appeared before the press days after being declared president elect of Mexico for the 2012-2018 term last August 31 after his triumph in the July elections was confirmed.
One by one he named the team that will smooth his way to the presidency, people who managed the electoral campaign that took the PRI to victory and some others that worked with Peña Nieto when he was the governor of the State of Mexico from 2005 to 2011.
Something that surprised the public was the appointment as Social Politics vice-coordinator of former Chief of Government for the Federal District (1999-2000) and ex-president of the leftwing Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) (2002-2003), Rosario Robles.
Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the PRD's representative, has not accepted a defeat and even asked for an annulment but the Electoral Court of the Judiciary of the Federation (TEPJF in Spanish), the highest authority in matters of electoral law in Mexico rejected the party's challenge.
The designation of Roberto Campa, the first presidential candidate of the New Alliance Party (PANAL) in 2006, who then abandoned the PRI and went against the party in the presidential elections getting 0.96 percent of the votes also stood out.
"In the next couple of days we will keep appointing men and women for different tasks that weren't designated in this first public presentation of the transition team," he said.
Peña Nieto explained that the members of his transitional team won't necessarily assume responsibilities in his Office, that cabinet's lineup is still to be released.
"It can't be understood, let alone supposed that the appointments made public today have anything to do with the ones I will do in due time regarding those responsible of the different public administration areas," he indicated.
He stated that those appointments "will happen in due time and on the appropriate moment."
Peña Nieto also said that General Roberto Miranda, from the Presidential General Staff (EMP in Spanish) is already in charge of his personal safety until he officially becomes the president next December 01.
Outside of the hotel where the announcement was made, dozens of people rebuked the president elect and pacifically denounced with signs and surrounded by security measures that his victory was a "fraud."
editorial@sandiegored.com
Original Text : EFE Agency
Translation: Karen.balderas@sandiegored.com
