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Andres Oppenheimer
The 95-point political agreement signed by Mexico's three biggest political parties may have a positive impact on Mexico, and could teach a lesson of civility to the
The Pact for Mexico, as Mexico's national accord is named, was signed
Some of the Pact's proposals, such as the education and telecommunications reforms, are to be presented to
While most Mexican political analysts have applauded the Pact as a first-of-its-kind agreement, skeptics point out that many of its clauses are vague statements of good intentions that may not be easy to pass through
In addition, skeptics see the Pact as a "pacto de cupulas" (a deal among political bosses) that did not go through a formal process of approval by each party's membership, and may thus not be heeded by legislators.
The Pact was signed by Pena Nieto, ruling
Still, there is a general consensus that the Pact broke new ground. Mexico has long been locked in political gridlock, to the point that key energy, fiscal, social security and education reforms have languished in
Jeffrey Davidow, a former head of the
"Regrettably, in the United States, which is also facing the need to deal with major structural problems, we do not see evidence of the kind of cooperation and maturity," Davidow added.
My opinion: I agree. While it's far from sure that Mexico's political accord will produce concrete results - political quarrels among legislators may prevent it from resulting in meaningful laws - it's a major step forward for a country whose
Granted, the national accord is still nothing but a piece of paper. But in Mexico's increasingly vibrant democracy, where the media is not shy about demanding that politicians meet their promises, it will put pressure on legislators from across the political spectrum to meet their promises, or face public ridicule.
Perhaps even more important, the Pact for Mexico will give Pena Nieto a convenient political cover for taking measures against powerful labor unions and business monopolies that in many cases have strong ties to his own party. It will allow Pena Nieto to tell special interests, "There's nothing I can do about this: it's what the three parties have agreed before I took office."
If Pena Nieto has the guts to undertake the reforms Mexico badly needs to take off, the Pact for Mexico could be a great tool for untangling his country's political paralysis, and could serve as a great example for the deeply divided
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World - U.S. Congress Could Learn from Mexico's National Accord | News of the World