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PRESIDENT FELIPE CALDERON PUSHES FOR RENEWED COOPERATION WITH OPPOSITION PARTIES TO ADDRESS ECONOMIC CRISIS, VIOLENCE.

Article Excerpt
Citing the need to reduce conflict in order to move the country forward in a time of economic crisis and increased violence, President Felipe Calderon and his governing Partido Accion Nacional (PAN) have entered into dialogue with the two major opposition parties. The president's conciliatory tone was evident in his State of the Nation address delivered Sept. 2, in which he pledged to work with the Congress to eradicate poverty, address violence and corruption, and implement financial reforms. The opposition Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), while accepting the Calderon's offer to work with him, also made it known that it needs to have significant input on the national agenda. The PRI became the powerbroker in the Congress after overwhelming victories in the in July 5 election (see SourceMex, 2009-07-08). Among the items high on the agenda are proposals to eliminate several government ministries and to cut the size of the Congress.

Budget deliberations will determine extent of cooperation

The dynamics of the relationship between Calderon and the PRI-led Congress will be most evident in deliberations on the 2010 budget, which the president must present to Congress in the next few weeks. The president and the three major parties agree that the budget process will be dictated by an uncertain economy during the coming year. Revenues will be limited by the economic downturn, which has greatly reduced tax revenues. Most forecasts expect Mexico's GDP to contract...

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