Enrique Pena Nieto
Enrique Peña Nieto (Spanish pronunciation: [enˈrike ˈpeɲa ˈnjeto] ( listen); born 20 July 1966) is a Mexican politician and the current President of Mexico. His six-year term began in 2012. He is a member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and served as governor of the State of Mexico from 2005 to 2011. Peña Nieto was declared president-elect after the 2012 general election was declared valid by the Federal Electoral Tribunal, amidst accusations of electoral fraud. He took office on 1 December 2012, succeeding Felipe Calderón as president. Peña Nieto announced his presidential candidacy in September 2011, four days after leaving office as governor. He formally registered in November 2011. Peña Nieto garnered 38% of the votes and does not hold a legislative majority. His election marked the return of the PRI after a twelve-year hiatus. The PRI had governed Mexico uninterrupted for 71 years until it was defeated by the National Action Party (PAN) in 2000. The return of the PRI was not welcomed by everyone. Marches against Peña Nieto drew tens of thousands of people across Mexico, particularly from the Yo Soy 132 student movement, who protested supposed voting irregularities and alleged media bias. Others protested that during its time in power, the PRI became a symbol of corruption, repression, economic mismanagement and electoral fraud. Many Mexicans and urban dwellers worried that its return to power might signify a return to Mexico's past. Peña Nieto promised that his government would be much more democratic, modern and open to criticism. He also pledged to continue the fight against organized crime and drug trade and that there would be no pacts with criminals. The rule of the PAN was marked by an inability to pass reform and the party lacked a congressional majority. The PRI touted that it "knows how to govern", an argument compelling enough for many voters to support the party. Throughout the election Peña Nieto maintained a wide lead in the polls. Peña Nieto proposed that he would reinvigorate Mexico's economy, permit the national oil company, Pemex, to compete in the private sector, and reduce drug violence that has left more than 55,000 dead in six years. Peña Nieto has twice appeared in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's Most Powerful People, once in 2013, where he was ranked 37th, and again in 2014, where he was ranked 60th.