![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
![]() |
You are in: World: Americas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
Monday, 3 July, 2000, 10:11 GMT 11:11 UK
Profile: Vicente Fox
![]() Victory for Vicente Fox
By BBC News Online's Kate Milner
Vicente Fox, winner of Mexico's presidential election on Sunday, is a former Coca Cola manager and state governor, known for his cowboy image and brash style. He is also a successful businessman and natural campaigner, who has gained popularity in the polls as the National Action Party candidate.
But his critics say he is a personality, not a politician. "Fox is 90% image and 10% ideas," says Javier Trevino, adviser to PRI candidate Francisco Labastida. He can be controversial. During the electoral campaign he called his PRI rival Francisco Labastida a "sissy" and a transvestite, and was accused of flaunting his Catholicism when he used a banner of the Virgin of Guadeloupe, Mexico's most sacred religious symbol, during a political rally. He stopped using the banner. He has also been criticised for his idea of privatising Petroleos de Mexico (PEMEX), considered by many Mexicans a symbol of their sovereignty. With an eye on public opinion, he has since reversed his stance. Self-promotion Mr Fox, 58 on election day, knows all about brand image - as a Coca Cola boss he ousted Pepsi as Mexico's top-selling soft drink. Now he is promoting himself as a down-to-earth man of the people.
And at six foot five, he easily stands out in a crowd. Describing himself as an admirer of US President Bill Clinton and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, Mr Fox wants a "third way" style of politics, a softer brand of capitalism. He says he wants the state to play a role in guiding a market-driven economy. In one interview during the election campaign he said he wanted to rebuild Mexico into a country "where security and justice prevail, where no-one is above the law ... and where every family will have abundant food on the table of its home." Mr Fox, the son of a wealthy Guanajuato farmer, manages a 450-hectare (1,220-acre) ranch in the state, where he raises cattle and ostriches, and grows vegetables for export to Europe, Japan and the United States. Divorced, with four adopted children, Mr Fox has made much of his agricultural roots, saying he was the only candidate to have ever milked a cow. He studied business administration and management at Mexico City's Jesuit-run Ibero-American University and at Harvard, joining Coca Cola in 1964 as a route supervisor. Over the next 15 years he climbed the corporate ladder to become president for Mexico and Central America. He was elected to Congress in 1988, ran for the post of governor of Guanajuato in 1991, and won by a landslide victory on his second attempt in 1995. He took leave of absence as governor last year to run in the presidential elections. Speaking after his election victory, he expressed his intention to reach out to other parties and all Mexicans: "From today forward, we need to unite," he told supporters at a victory rally. "Let's celebrate today, because beginning tomorrow there's a lot of work to do." |
![]() |
![]()
Internet links:
![]() The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top Americas stories now:
![]() ![]() Links to more Americas stories are at the foot of the page.
![]() |
![]() |
Links to more Americas stories
|
![]() |
![]() |
^^ Back to top News Front Page | World | UK | UK Politics | Business | Sci/Tech | Health | Education | Entertainment | Talking Point | In Depth | AudioVideo ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To BBC Sport>> | To BBC Weather>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © MMIII | News Sources | Privacy |