- In full:
- Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa
- Born:
- August 18, 1962, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico (age 64)
- Title / Office:
- president (2006-2012), Mexico
- Political Affiliation:
- National Action Party
Felipe Calderón
-
Who is Felipe Calderón?
Felipe Calderón, born on August 18, 1962, in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico, is a Mexican politician who served as president of Mexico from 2006 to 2012.
Calderón comes from a political family and was actively involved in the center-right National Action Party (PAN) from a young age. He held various positions within the party before winning the presidential election in 2006. During his term, Calderón focused on judicial reform, strengthening the energy sector, job creation, and combating crime and drug cartels. Despite his efforts, Mexico faced challenges such as recession, high unemployment, and escalating drug-related violence. Barred from seeking a second term, Calderón left office in 2012 and later cofounded a new political party called Free Mexico in 2019.
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When did Felipe Calderón serve as president of Mexico?
Felipe Calderón was president of Mexico from 2006 to 2012.
During his term, Calderón passed legislation to reform Mexico’s judicial system, strengthen the energy sector, increase the number of jobs, and fight crime and drug cartels. In December 2006, he launched widespread security operations involving tens of thousands of military personnel to respond to drug cartels. Escalating drug violence and cartel warfare resulted in a national security crisis widely characterized as Mexico’s Drug War.
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Which political party did Felipe Calderón represent?
Felipe Calderón was a member of the National Action Party (PAN), a conservative Mexican political party with ties to the Roman Catholic Church that generally favors minimal government intervention in the economy. Calderón's father even helped found the PAN in 1939. Calderón served as president of Mexico from 2006 to 2012. He later left PAN in 2018 and co-founded a new party called Free Mexico in 2019.
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What major challenges did Felipe Calderón face during his presidency?
During his presidency (2006-2012), Felipe Calderón faced significant challenges, including a recession, high unemployment, and escalating drug-related violence and cartel warfare. In response to the cartels, Calderón launched widespread security operations involving tens of thousands of military personnel in December 2006. The confrontation became a national security crisis known as Mexico’s Drug War, with increasing deaths and accusations of human rights violations against the government. In addition, Mexico was hit with an outbreak of H1N1 flu and the economy suffered as a consequence of the Great Recession of 2008–09.
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How did Felipe Calderón address the issue of drug cartels in Mexico?
During his presidency (2006–2012), Felipe Calderón addressed Mexico's drug cartels by launching widespread security operations in December 2006, involving tens of thousands of military personnel. This was in response to escalating drug violence and cartel warfare, particularly in U.S.-Mexican border cities. Calderón's strategy aimed to strengthen the energy sector, increase jobs, and combat crime and drug gangs. However, this confrontation became a national security crisis known as Mexico’s Drug War, marked by increased violence and a rising death toll; by September 2011, there were over 47,000 related deaths since the start of his administration. The government faced accusations of human rights violations amid brutal massacres and beheadings perpetrated by cartels battling each other and the government.
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What are some lasting impacts of Felipe Calderón’s presidency on Mexico?
Felipe Calderón served as president of Mexico from 2006 to 2012. During his term, Calderón implemented legislation to reform Mexico’s judicial system, strengthen the energy sector, increase jobs, and combat crime and drug cartels.
Despite his efforts, Mexico faced challenges such as recession, high unemployment, and escalating drug-related violence. Calderón's administration was credited with bringing greater economic stability to the country. However, his government's efforts to curtail cartels drew harsh criticism due to continued violence and alleged human rights abuses. In 2019, he cofounded a new party, Free Mexico.
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Felipe Calderón (born August 18, 1962, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico) is a Mexican politician who served as president of Mexico (2006–12).
Calderón studied law at the Free School of Law in Mexico City and later did postgraduate study in economics at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico. In 2000 he earned a master’s degree in public administration at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Calderón became involved in politics at an early age. His father helped found the centre-right National Action Party (PAN) in 1939, and, as an elementary student, the younger Calderón campaigned actively for the party. He later headed the PAN’s youth organization, and from 1991 to 1994 he represented the party in the federal Chamber of Deputies. Calderón became the PAN’s secretary-general in 1993 when his political mentor, Carlos Castillo Peraza, assumed the party presidency. In 1996 he succeeded Castillo Peraza as the PAN president, a position he held until 1999.
In 2000 the PAN’s candidate Vicente Fox won the presidential elections, ending 71 years of uninterrupted rule by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). His historic victory brought the PAN to national power for the first time. Calderón was leader (2000–03) of the party’s Chamber of Deputies delegation before serving as minister of energy (2003–04). Fox forced him to resign his cabinet position in May 2004 on the grounds that he was campaigning prematurely for the PAN’s presidential nomination. In late 2005 Calderón decisively defeated Santiago Creel in internal party primaries to win the PAN candidacy.
During the presidential campaign in 2006, Calderón initially trailed centre-left candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador. He closed the gap, however, by promising to be the “jobs president” and by conducting an aggressive media campaign that portrayed his populist opponent as a “danger for Mexico.” Calderón won the election by just 0.56 percent of the vote. López Obrador challenged the results, claiming voting irregularities and fraud, and a number of protests ensued. Following a partial recount, however, Calderón was officially declared the winner, and he took office on December 1.
During his term Calderón oversaw the passage of legislation to reform Mexico’s judicial system, and he worked to strengthen the energy sector, increase the number of jobs, and fight crime and drug cartels. But by 2009 Mexico was still suffering from a recession, high unemployment, and escalating drug-related violence and cartel warfare. Calderón’s PAN lost to the opposition PRI in the legislative elections held in July 2009. In the ensuing years, Calderon was credited with bringing greater economic stability to the country. However, questions about his government’s efforts to curtail cartels drew harsh criticism, especially as violence continued and human rights were allegedly abused. Barred from seeking a second term, Calderón left office in 2012. Six years later he quit PAN, and in 2019 he cofounded a new party, Free Mexico.