Miguel de la Madrid

Arms Shield with Necklace of the Order of Isabel the Catholic

Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado (Colima, Colima, December 12, 1934 - Mexico City, April 1, 2012) was a Mexican lawyer and politician who served as President of Mexico from December 1, 1982 to November 30, 1988.

During his presidency, he introduced radical neoliberal policies to overcome the economic crisis caused by the international fall in oil prices, ushering in an era of market-oriented presidents in Mexico, along with austerity measures that imply deep cuts in public spending. Despite these reforms, the country's economic growth remained negative with high inflation, while the social effects of the austerity measures were particularly harsh for the middle and lower classes, with real wages falling by half and with a sharp increase in unemployment and the informal economy towards the end of his government.

His administration was criticized for the 1984 San Juan Ixhuatepec explosions, the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, and the controversial presidential succession that brought victory to Carlos Salinas de Gortari. During his tenure, he promoted the creation of the Contadora Group to find a solution to the conflicts in Central America, the 1986 Soccer World Cup was held and Mexico's entry into GATT was achieved.

Trajectory

Miguel de la Madrid studied Law at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and a postgraduate degree in Public Administration at Harvard University.

In May 1979, he was invited by President José López Portillo to join his cabinet as Secretary of Programming and Budget, replacing Ricardo García Sainz. He took office on Saturday, May 19, 1979.

He was postulated by the PRI as a candidate for the Presidency of the United Mexican States in the 1982 elections, specifically on Friday, September 25, 1981, and won the elections on July 4, 1982. He took office in December of that same year, succeeding José López Portillo.

President of Mexico (1982-1988)

We live an emergency situation. It's not time for titubeos or complaints: it's time for definitions and responsibilities. We won't leave the inertia. the situation is intolerable. I won't let the Homeland get rid of us. We will act decisively and firmly.

Address of inauguration as President of Mexico

Miguel de la Madrid came to power at one of the most difficult times in the country, largely due to his predecessor, José López Portillo, who nationalized the bank three months before leaving power, after two six-year terms of excessive spending. It should be noted that De la Madrid himself, as López Portillo's Secretary of Programming and Budget, had been a key figure in economic planning and therefore largely co-responsible for the crisis that he himself had to face as President.

Economic policy

As a result of the economic crisis inherited from the López Portillo presidency, inflation rose to an average of 100% each year; informal employment grew around 20% between 1983 and 1985; there were drastic drops in production, especially in government industries, already outdated by then; GDP growth waxed and waned and purchasing power declined. To resolve such problems, a Global Development Plan was drawn up; established a democratic planning system at the constitutional level; and more importantly, he began with the economic opening, deregulation and decentralization, as well as the privatization of state companies, something that would continue under his successor.

During his administration, the number of parastatals dropped from 1,155 in 1982 to 413 in 1988.

His economic policy affects peasants above all. For example, subsidies to the agricultural sector were reduced (and subsidies to coffee production were removed), trade liberalization led to an increase in imports that sank local production, and the removal of important agricultural combines led to the loss of many rural jobs.

Faced with the severe economic crisis (where a 3100% devaluation of the peso was reached), Economic Growth Pacts were established with the various social sectors, through which the government subsidized part of the prices of basic products and producers/distributors agreed not to increase them. In January 1986, after approximately three years of negotiations, Mexico managed to be admitted to GATT, being the strongest point of this administration.

Attempt to decriminalize abortion

Since his presidential campaign, De la Madrid had mentioned the importance of discussing the issue of abortion, given the high national population growth and the scarcity of resources that the country had to meet the needs of the population, especially in middle of the economic crisis.

Already as president, De la Madrid and the attorney general Sergio García Ramírez tried to reform the Penal Code of the Federal District to decriminalize abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy "due to failure of contraceptive methods, fetal alterations and pregnancy resulting from rape, prior medical authorization and in a hospital." However, due to the highly negative reaction of the Catholic Church and conservative sectors, said initiative was finally withdrawn.

Attack

During the parade on May 1 in 1984, a group of protesters threw Molotov cocktails onto the balcony of the Presidential Palace, where de la Madrid and several guests were watching the parade. The president was unharmed, but several of the guests suffered injuries, including the then director of ISSSTE, Alejandro Carrillo Castro.

1985 earthquake

On September 19, 1985, an earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale struck Mexico City, with a strong aftershock on the 20th. The material damage was massive, and although official estimates speak of a few thousand deaths (five to ten thousand), public opinion considered that the number could have exceeded 40,000. The initial reaction of the government was very slow and inadequate, which made the population take the lead and organize the the efforts to rescue victims and bodies from the rubble.

Both the declarations of President De la Madrid indicating that the country did not require foreign aid to face the tragedy, as well as his decision not to allow the army to collaborate with the population in the rescue work during the first hours after the earthquake, as well as his refusal to suspend the payment of the external debt to allocate it to the reconstruction work (President De la Madrid allocated approximately 30% of the national budget to the payment of the external debt) earned him severe criticism of this administration.

1988 Election

In 1988, his government was involved in the biggest electoral scandal in the country up to then. On July 6, during the presidential elections, the candidate of the left, Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, vastly led his rivals Manuel Clouthier (PAN) and Carlos Salinas de Gortari (PRI). For reasons that are still "unknown," the electoral counting system stopped. The Secretary of the Interior, at that time in charge of Manuel Bartlett Díaz and who was then organizing the election, pointed out that: the system had fallen. Finally, the PRI candidate was declared the winner. A few years before his death, De la Madrid confessed to the New York Times newspaper, and in an autobiography, that the presidential elections had been rigged so that the Institutional Revolutionary Party would win, and that three years after the election, all the ballots were burned to remove all evidence of fraud.

After Activity

Director of the Economic Culture Fund

Miguel de la Madrid with U.S. President Ronald Reagan in Mazatlan (1988).

After finishing his presidential term, Miguel de la Madrid assumed the direction of the Fondo de Cultura Económica (FCE) in 1990. During his period as head of the FCE, he implemented modernization programs in the productive and administrative areas, incorporating the most advance of the publishing and graphic arts industries, and maintained the characteristic openness and plurality in the company's publishing policy.

On September 4, 1992, the new facilities were inaugurated, located on the Picacho-Ajusco highway number 227. Surrounded by gardens, in addition to offices, they house the Jesús Silva Herzog cultural unit, the Gonzalo Robles Library, which safeguards the growing history publishing house of the Fund, as well as the Alfonso Reyes bookstore.

On the international scene, in 1990 the existing facilities of the subsidiaries were remodeled. With this, the presence of the Fondo de Cultura Económica acquired a more important projection in the American continent: on September 7 of the same year, the subsidiary was founded in San Diego, California; on June 21, 1991, the Azteca bookstore opened its doors in São Paulo, Brazil; in 1994 the facilities of the FCE of Venezuela were inaugurated; and in 1998 another subsidiary was created in Guatemala. In this way, the FCE achieved a relevant presence in Latin America with nine subsidiaries: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Spain, the United States, Guatemala, Peru and Venezuela. Regarding the national project, new bookstores were opened. During this period, six were inaugurated in Mexico City

In terms of publishing, 21 new collections were launched under the direction of De la Madrid: in 1990, Claves (Argentina); in 1991, A la Orilla del Viento, Mexican Codices, University Scientific Editions and Specials of A la Orilla del Viento; in 1992, Breviaries of Contemporary Science (Argentina) and New Economic Culture; in 1993, Prospective Library, Mexican Library, Cervantes Award Library (Spain), and History of the Americas and Journeys Trust; in 1994, Life and Word of the Indians of America and A Vision of the Modernization of Mexico; Archives, Piedra del Sol (Peru), Between Voices, Spaces for Reading and Fondo 2000; Meetings (Peru); Historia de México, in addition to five periodicals: Galeras del Fondo, Periolibros, Imágenes, Espacios para la Lectura and the Background Page.

During his administration, the FCE received various awards, including: in 1992, the FILIJ Book Award (CNCA) for children's books; in 1993, Laurel de Oro Award (Department of Culture of the Madrid City Council); in 1993, honorable mention of the Juan García Bacca Award (Peruvian Cultural Association), and the Aztec Gold Calendar (Mexican Association of Radio and Television). In 1994 and 1995 the Banco del Libro de Venezuela prize for children's books.

Regarding the distinctions received as an individual at the head of the FCE, it stands out that the Spanish Council for Ibero-American Studies distinguished De la Madrid for his contribution to the development of reading in the Spanish language; He received the IUS Award in 1997 from the UNAM Law School and in 1998, the French government awarded him the Palmas Académicas in the degree of Commander for his contribution to cultural development. In 1999 Mr. De la Madrid received the Picasso Gold Medal (Unesco) for his work in the dissemination of Latin American culture.

Controversy

On May 12, 2009, in the framework of a radio interview, he accused Carlos Salinas de Gortari of stealing the money from the secret consignment and that his brother Raúl had ties to drug trafficking. But he later backed down in a public letter, claiming that he could not mentally process the answers to the questions asked.

That same month, Carmen Aristegui, on her CNN program in Spanish, read a letter written by former President Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado. That same morning, she interviewed him on her radio show.

Family and death

He was the son of Miguel de la Madrid Castro and Alicia Hurtado, as well as the grandson of Enrique O. de la Madrid and the great-grandson of Miguel de la Madrid Guerrero, both governors of Colima. Married to Paloma Cordero in 1957, they had 5 children. His son Enrique de la Madrid Cordero served as Secretary of Tourism during the government of Enrique Peña Nieto.

Death

The former president died on April 1, 2012 at 07:30 a.m. at the Spanish Hospital in Mexico City after a long suffering from pulmonary emphysema. His remains were veiled in the library of his private home and in Gayosso de Félix Cuevas, and the day after his death a state tribute was paid to him in the Court of Honor of the National Palace headed by President Calderón. Among the attendees, the presence of former President Carlos Salinas de Gortari and members of the federal government stood out.