Monsters and Critics : Profile: Felipe Calderon, Mexico's president-elect by a hairsbreadth

Profile: Felipe Calderon, Mexico's president-elect by a hairsbreadth

by Nelson Keiman | September 6, 2006

Mexico City - Felipe Calderon, designated Tuesday as Mexico's president-elect after a two-month court battle, follows closely in the footsteps of outgoing Mexican President Vicente Fox.

Calderon is a lifelong member of Fox's National Action Party (PAN), co-founded by his father, Luis Calderon.

The Federal Electoral Tribunal of the Judiciary (TEFPJ) declared the winner of the July 2 presidential election with an edge of 0.55 percentage points over leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the former mayor of Mexico City.

Obrador has refused to concede defeat and vowed to keep up the fight against an election outcome that he considers fraudulent.

Calderon, who turned 44 in August, was the youngest of the candidates in the July 2 presidential election. He was born in Morelia in the northwestern state of Michoacan.

Mexico's designated next president actually became a member of PAN at 18, shortly before his father - a seven-time parliamentary candidate elected only once - resigned in protest against changes in PAN's political direction.

Calderon proudly describes how his relationship with PAN started as a boy, accompanying his father on the campaign trail or to party rallies for other candidates.

A practising Roman Catholic, Calderon said in a book that from a very young age he also accompanied his mother to Christian charity events, and has fond memories of his studies at a religious school and the community-oriented activities he carried out with the priests in charge of the institution.

Calderon claims that he joined the party with no pressure from his family, but 'out of personal commitment' with the party linked to other Christian Democratic movements around the world.

He says he believes in the separation of religion and politics, while opposing abortion, assisted suicide and same-sex marriage.

A lawyer since 1987, Calderon served as PAN president and secretary general in the 1990s, during which time PAN expanded its power from one to three states.

He served as president of the party's parliamentary block from 2000-03 in the lower house of Congress, after receiving his master's degree in public administration from Harvard University, the oldest and most prestigious private university in the United States.

Now Fox's elected successor and PAN standardbearer, Calderon has in the past had public disagreements with the outgoing president.

In mid-2003, while Calderon was Mexican energy minister, he attended a rally where he was acclaimed as a presidential candidate. The event drew a public rebute from Fox, and Calderon resigned his portfolio and criticised Fox.

An experienced underdog, the conservative politician eventually won PAN's presidential nomination in late 2005, after defeating the party favourite Santiago Creel in primary elections. Later, Calderon overcame a deficit of more 20 percentage points in opinion polls to beat Lopez Obrador two months ago.

Calderon has been married for 12 years to former congresswoman Margarita Zavala. They have two sons and a daughter.

© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur