Calderón presidency gets start amid chaos

Rival legislators clamor for control at inauguration

By S. Lynne Walker
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE

December 2, 2006

MEXICO CITY – Felipe Calderón weathered his first test as Mexico's new president, taking the oath of office yesterday before a jeering Congress and then delivering a conciliatory inaugural address urging opponents to help him confront the country's myriad problems.

Calderón's unorthodox inauguration ceremony marked a chaotic beginning to his six-year term.

Yesterday morning, he slipped through a back door leading to the congressional chamber, where the speaker's podium was crowded with chanting members of his conservative National Action Party, or PAN.

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Calderón takes oath of office as Mexico's president amid jeers and fistfights

By Ioan Grillo
ASSOCIATED PRESS
8:41 a.m. December 1, 2006

MEXICO CITY – Felipe Calderón took the oath of office as Mexico's president Friday amid jeers and whistles, in a lightning-fast ceremony before congress that was preceded by a brawl between lawmakers divided over the tight presidential election.

Calderón entered through a back door and appeared suddenly on the speaker's platform, which was the site of three days of fistfights and sit-ins by lawmakers seeking to control the stage. Physically protected by dozens of lawmakers and flanked by outgoing President Vicente Fox, Calderón swore to uphold the constitution in comments almost inaudible over the noise.

Congress' leader ordered the national anthem played, momentarily stilling the catcalls and shouting, before Calderón made a quick exit and congress adjourned. Foreign dignitaries – including former President George H.W. Bush, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and Spanish Prince Felipe Asturias – sat in a balcony overlooking the scene.

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Few really know Calderón; his actions will be the key
Mexico's leader takes oath today
By S. Lynne Walker
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
Photo by LUIS J. JIMENEZ / Copley News Service

December 1, 2006

MEXICO CITY – As Mexico's new president takes the oath of office today, two critical questions remain: Who is Felipe Calderón, and how will he govern his splintered country?

An attorney and career politician, the low-key Calderón is still a mystery to most Mexicans.

People know his face. They know he has promised to be a “jobs president” and to use a “firm hand” with lawbreakers. They know he is a conservative from outgoing President Vicente Fox's National Action Party, or PAN.

But they have few clues, even now on inauguration day, about how Felipe Calderón will confront Mexico's toughest problems.

“The big, big question is how he is going to use his presidential power,” said Oscar Aguilar, a political science professor at Mexico City's Universidad Iberoamericana. “He has to demonstrate his character the first day of his administration. That is what we are all waiting for.”

Those who know the 44-year-old Calderón say he will bring a new style of governing to Mexico.