In mid-term speech, Calderon proposes public officials' re-election, citizen input and more economic reforms

From El Semanario,
CNNExpansion and Reuters reports

In a speech Sunday marking the mid-point of his term in office, President Felipe Calderón said he will seek measures to allow legislators and mayors to be re-elected and to introduce citizen referendums and initiatives.

Calderon, making the address from the central courtyard of the national palace Los Pinos, said these and other substantive changes are necessary to forge a new relationship between the three branches of government and to change the political dynamic that keeps the country from advancing.

The inability of legislators to seek re-election has been criticized because officials have little desire to serve their constituencies while in office and, instead, focus on building power and wealth.

The reform was among numerous measures Calderon initiated, including giving the Supreme Court the right to initiate legislation, shrinking the size of the congress, amending the law on amparos, and giving the media more access during elections.

He also said more public-finance reforms are needed to offset waning oil revenue and make the country more competitive.

Lawmakers this month passed a 2010 budget with a watered-down version of Calderon's original fiscal overhaul plan, which would have increased the number of people who pay taxes in Mexico.

"While a package was passed that resolves the most immediate problems, it is still far from a long-term solution to the structural problems Mexico faces," Calderon said.

Fitch Ratings cut Mexico's sovereign debt rating by one notch last week, punishing the country for political gridlock that has prevented meaningful economic reforms since seven decades of one-party rule ended in 2000.

Mexican oil production has slipped about a quarter from a 2004 peak as reserves in the Gulf of Mexico dry up, hitting government finances as oil funds more than a third of the federal budget.

Also holding the economy back, monopolies or near-monopolies hold sway over key industries such as energy and telecommunications, keeping costs high for companies.

Calderon said those issues also will be addressed and sectors opened up during the final three years of his presidency.

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