At national level we are the majority party. Now we are experiencing an unprecedented event in Mexico: we are compelled to ensuring a co-responsible governance at national level, especially between the Executive and Legislative.

After the elections many bet on the demise of our party but it was not so. First because voters decided we should continue in the political scene with an important presence by giving us majorities in both houses and then because there have been around thirteen electoral processes where the PRI won in most of them. What is certainly a reality in Mexico is that plurality has arrived, alternation is a constant feature in the national life and our party now faces the challenge of restructuring itself.

This month we have a national assembly that will gather over 14 thousand delegates to discuss what course will the PRI take now. For another thing, we face the challenge of ensuring a democratic governance with a sense of responsibility with the nation although we are opposition and contribute to projects being fostered from the Executive by President Fox can also solve the country’s problems.

You were just sort of comparing Mexico and Argentina. Considering the popular characteristics of the Mexican PRI and the Argentine Justicialist Party (PJ), what parallels could you describe between both parties?

Regardless of the ideological bias, which may have different hues, the party frameworks share some similarities in the political life of Mexico with that of Argentina. We lost the presidential election seizing 36% of votes against 44 to 45% for President Fox but we obtained a majority at Congress and now the President is forced to seek consensus to rule as is the case with Argentina. For another thing, the President’s approval rating has dropped considerably in the past administrations as he has found it hard to reach important agreements and reforms such as the fiscal one. A similar situation has taken place with the ruling party in Argentina. In the last electoral processes our party has scored important victories, not in all of them but in most of them, the PRI has rebounded by 8 to 10 points against a year ago and the PAN has dropped in voters’ mood, hence another parallel with the situation in Argentina.

What are the current challenges for Mexico?

We face many challenges ahead: preserving democratic governance; matching the interests of priísta governors with those of the Executive; conducting a fiscal reform allowing us to join globalization properly; capitalizing on the free trade agreements we have with the United States and Canada that have made is increase a huge national output growth. Mexico has become the world’s tenth economy but endures deep social sluggishness at the same time. We must face this challenge that prevents us from having a more leading role in key, strategic and socially important sectors of the national life.

The challenge is to preserve governance, seek government efficiency and face globalization with intelligence averting its risks and tapping its benefits. In turn, as a political party we intend to act with maturity, show the people we are a government choice, we have experience, we are not a stone on the President’s road who is now from another political party but we want to help him build the country and at the same time to strengthen national pluralism and have a smart say in the national context.

‘We do agree on the fiscal reform since the country needs it but we disagree with the reform imposed by the President for it aims at imposing taxes on those who have less’

Despite the cooperation the opposition is offering government you still have two prevailing issues: fiscal reform and the reform of the state. What are the points shared with the Executive and what is the PRI’s stance toward these points?

The mood to build the reform of the state exists and differences prevails as well. My party has just sealed an agreement with the President that confirms the willingness to participate in this purpose. We have some disagreements on the fiscal reform front, especially in the federalist perspective and the bloc of governors is demanding a more equitable participation in the fiscal resources distribution. The President has found it hard to gather consensus in his own party and it is important for us to forge a good relationship with his party so that proper consensus could be achieved.

We do agree on the fiscal reform since the country needs it but we disagree with the reform imposed by the President for it aims at imposing taxes on those who have less, levy taxes on food, drugs, scholarships. We are searching another formula to increase revenues, keep finances healthy and advance in the reform of the state which we have already fostered through my party. We have independent electoral institutions, government of the Federal District elected through universal suffrage and there have been major advances where my party and other parties (for it was achieved unanimously) have built the possibility for democratic progress in Mexico.

Now governance should not crack. We are concerned about some scenarios due to some ways of suggesting some projects differently but we want to build the country of the future together and recover the political spaces we have left abandoned in some corners of the country and why not win the mid-term lections and regain the Presidency of the Republic in the years ahead.

What are the next steps President Vicente Fox may give?

The first need is to build the national agreements the country needs right now. We must agree on a fiscal reform that does not levy the have nots and does not create recession. We should also agree on a power reform for the Mexican state owns oils, gas and power generating institutions and we need to open up. However, differing views exist as to how can this process be conducted without Mexicans losing their leading role in terms of deciding the important matters related to our destiny.

We should adavance in this regard and also have a civilized political competence that does not break up the harmonious control of national affairs that are within our interest. I think my country has risen to the occasion and conditions exist for agreements to be sealed with the State when the country’s interests are in question.