CALDERON NAMES POLITICAL CABINET

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MEXICO 006656 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE PASS TO USTR FOR MELLE AND EISSENSTAT STATE FOR A/S SHANNON STATE FOR INR/B STATE FOR WHA/MEX, WHA/EPSC, EB/ESC NSC FOR DAN FISK HHS FOR OGHA--STEIGER AND VALDEZ INTERIOR FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS--WASHBURN; FWS, NPS, AND NMFS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR MX SUBJECT: CALDERON NAMES POLITICAL CABINET REF: A. MEX 6604 ¶B. MEXICO 6571 ¶C. GUADALAJARA 0410 ¶D. GUADALAJARA 0482 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: President-elect Calderon announced his four political cabinet selections on November 28, bringing into his government one of his closest aides to run the presidency and naming a controversial Jalisco politician for Secretariat of the Interior. The appointments include: Francisco Ramirez Acuna as Secretary of the Interior; Patricia Espinosa Cantellano as Secretary of Foreign Relations; German Martinez Cazares as Secretary of Civil Service; and Juan Camilo Mourino as head of the Office of the Presidency. Biographies of each selection are below. ¶2. (SBU) The announcement of security-related cabinet positions, including the secretaries of defense, navy, and public security, as well as the attorney general, is expected on Wednesday, November 29. Calderon announced his social cabinet selections on November 24 (reftel A) and his economic cabinet selections on November 20 (reftel B). End summary. Francisco Ramirez Acuna, Secretary of the Interior (SEGOB) -------------- -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Calderon named Francisco Ramirez Acuna as Secretary of the Interior, stating that his responsibilities will focus on engaging all elements of Mexican society, promoting respect for human rights, and buttressing rule of law and effective democracy. Ramirez is clearly the most controversial pick among the political cabinet posts. He is most well known for his hardline governing style in Jalisco as the state's governor, including the alleged mistreatment, illegal detention and torture of protesters at a 2004 summit in Guadalajara for heads of state from Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union (reftel C and D). While the Party for Democratic Revolution (PRD) and civil society actors will focus on his human rights record, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) has raised strong complaints about his role in the 2006 election of the next Jalisco Governor and PAN member Emilio Gonzalez Marquez, in which Ramirez reportedly used the state attorney general's office to launch accusations of fraud against the PRI candidate. Some political commentators have suggested that Calderon's pick of Ramirez indicates the will to bring situations such as the protracted crisis in Oaxaca under control. ¶4. (SBU) Ramirez's was elected to governor in 2001 and his term officially ends March 1, 2007. From 1998 to 2000 he served as mayor of Guadalajara, and from 1995 to 1997 he led the Office of Transportation for the state capital. He has served in several elected posts as well as party positions, including Municipal President of Zapopan, Jalisco, from 1983 to 1985; Secretary General of PAN State Committee in Jalisco in 1982; state representative in the Jalisco congress from 1980 to 1983 and 1974 to 1977. Born 22 April, 1952, in Jamay, Jalisco, Mr. Ramirez received a B.A. in law from the University of Guadalajara. Patricia Espinosa Cantellano, Secretary of Foreign Relations (SRE) -------------- -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The selection of Patricia Espinosa Cantellano was not a widely expected choice for Secretary of Foreign Relations, though she brings strong multilateral experience in the SRE and is so far the fourth woman named to the cabinet. Calderon said that she should particularly seek to defend the rights of Mexicans abroad and guide foreign policy towards economic and social development for Mexico. ¶6. (SBU) A career member of the foreign service for more than MEXICO 00006656 002 OF 002 25 years, Espinosa was named Ambassador to Austria in June ¶2002. She previously had served as Ambassador to Germany from March 2001. She has served at the Permanent Missions to the UN in Geneva, Vienna and New York as well as at the SRE in several capacities in the area of multilateral affairs. Calderon praised her for her considerable experience in the areas of international cooperation, especially in regard to international crime; promotion of Mexican interests among economic, commercial and technology issues; the promotion of Mexican culture; and the protection of human rights. Born October 21, 1958, in Mexico City, Espinosa received a B.A. in international relations at El Colegio de Mexico, studied international law at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, and received a doctorate in economics at Oxford University. German Martinez Cazares, Secretary of Civil Service -------------- -------------- ¶7. (SBU) In naming German Martinez Cazares to head the Secretariat of the Civil Service, Calderon has recruited a SIPDIS long time party official. Calderon stressed that the position's priorities will be to fight corruption in government, advance transparency, and professionalize public services. ¶8. (SBU) Martinez was most recently the PAN representative to the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE). He was a federal representative in the lower chamber of congress from 2003 to 2006, where he was the deputy coordinator of the PAN. Prior to his term in congress, he coordinated the development of the PAN legislative platform for the 2003-2006 session, while he served the general director for two foundations. In 2000, Mr. Martinez was a member of the Presidential Committee for the Fox presidential campaign as well as the representative in IFE for PAN and the Alliance for Change Coalition. He has served in several other positions within the PAN over many years. Born June 20, 1967, in Morelia, Michoacan, Martinez received a B.A. in law from the Universidad La Salle in Mexico City, studied constitutional law and political science at the Centro de Estudios Politicos y Constitucionales in Madrid, and he received a doctorate in Constitutional Law at the Complutense University in Madrid. Juan Camilo Mourino: Head, Office of the Presidency -------------- -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Juan Camilo Mourino, appointed by Calderon to run the Office of the Presidency, is one of the president-elect's closest aides. Camilo served as coordinator of Calderon's primary and general election campaign and then was named coordinator of the transition team. He will likely be the youngest of Calderon's cabinet. Due to Mexican law, Mourino cannot serve as a secretary due to his being born outside the country. ¶10. (SBU) Camilo was appointed Undersecretary for Energy by Calderon when he was Secretary. Mr. Camilo was elected in 2000 as a representative at the federal level in the lower chamber of congress, where he served as the president of the Energy Commission. He was an active member of the Friends of Fox network. He previously served as a local state representative in Campeche and as a businessman in the energy sector. Born in 1971 in Madrid, Mr. Camilo became a naturalized Mexican citizen when he was 18 years old. He received a B.A. in economics from the University of Tampa. His family is the owner of Grupo Energetica del Sureste, an energy concern. Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity GARZA