Vicente Fox Becomes President, 2000

Mexico was under the presidency of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) for 71 years until Vicente Fox was elected president in the year 2000. This is one of the most important years of Mexico’s history because PRI was a political party that conducted massive fraud, they would often use powerful monopolies in exchange for political support. 

Vicente Fox was a businessman in Mexico who later got involved in politics because he saw that Mexico needed new leadership due to the way in which the country was struggling economically. He ran for presidency with the National Action Party (PAN) and won, this was allowing him to be part of a group that was focused on ending the corruption the country faced. This would also allow him to focus on ways in which he could improve the economy. 

Some of Fox’s goals when he stepped into office were to reduce corruption, crime, and drug trafficking which are some of Mexico’s biggest problems. Fox also wanted to strengthen the rights of indigenous people but the measures were ratified. This election is very important because Fox ended the country from being under authoritarian rule. This election gave the people of Mexico a new start to actually demand change and started to see change within the way the president involved himself for the better of his country. 

In an article, I read on Britannica they say, “There was significant progress early in Fox’s term toward bilateral cooperation with the United States on drug trafficking and illegal immigration, but the U.S. administration was skeptical of Fox’s calls for open borders with the United States and for the protection of the rights of undocumented Mexican workers” this shows the way in which he made progress, he was able to create a connection with the U.S. where although there was some tension, he opened more opportunities for the country’s people. 

Works Cited

Ugarte, Pedro. “Mexico’s Newly Inaugurated President Vicente Fox Waves to the Crowd…” Getty Images, n.d. https://www.gettyimages.dk/detail/news-photo/mexicos-newly-inaugurated-president-vicente-fox-waves-to-news-photo/93115223. 

“Vicente Fox.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., n.d. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vicente-Fox. 

By: Penelophe Pintor