Conservative President-Elect Calderon Focuses on Poor After Strong Challenge From Leftist

Sep 5, 7:36 PM EDT

By E. EDUARDO CASTILLO
Associated Press Writer

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- President-elect Felipe Calderon, a pro-business lawyer educated at Harvard, has pledged to pursue his predecessor's free-market policies. But a strong challenge from his leftist rival is forcing him to focus more of his conservative party's attention on the millions of Mexico's poor.

Calderon, 44, opposes abortion and the legalization of drugs, and has promised to wield a "firm hand" against crime, a pledge applauded by the business community

He said his policies would be centered on bettering the plight of poor families - the mantra of defeated leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Shortly after the disputed July 2 elections concluded, Calderon - leading by less than 1 percent after an initial vote count - asked those who had supported Lopez Obrador to give him a chance to show that he, too, could provide social policies aimed at lessening poverty and increasing equality.

A lawyer who holds a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University, Calderon is a member of the conservative National Action Party, or PAN, founded in 1939 by a group of politicians including his father.