New Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto proposed a series of economic, security and social measures as he took office on Saturday, aiming to reduce drug war violence and beef up growth in Latin America's second biggest economy.
Following are his main proposals, which come on top of his pledges to enact major fiscal and energy reforms:
* Propose a balanced budget for 2013, reducing the fiscal deficit to zero. Issue a decree requiring austerity measures and budgetary discipline in public spending.
* Increase competition in sectors like telecoms, and seek to include in the constitution the right to broadband access. He reiterated a plan that the government will also auction two new open television channels in the coming months.
* Accelerate infrastructure projects planned for 2012-2018, and include proposals to better connect Mexico's less-developed south with the rest of the world.
* Push ahead with building a series of passenger train lines between the capital and nearby cities of Queretaro and Toluca, as well as another around the Yucatan peninsula.
* Propose a bill to put finances of states and local governments in order.
* Create a national crime prevention program, which will be factored into the 2013 budget.
* Propose constitutional reform to streamline Mexico's 33 penal codes into one national code.
* Launch within 60 days a "national crusade against hunger" to guarantee families a minimum standard of living.
* Factor into the budget a pension for all Mexicans aged 65 and over as a step towards universal social security coverage.
* Introduce an education reform that ensures teachers are promoted based on ability and results.
© Thomson Reuters.
