Pessimism plagues Mexico year after new leader arrives

Poll shows president's support has fallen drastically since April.

MEXICO CITY — Taco stand owner Pompilio Jiménez held high hopes when Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto took office. But a year of slow sales and decreased security in his hometown on the outskirts of Mexico City has given him second thoughts.

"He promised more jobs and more security," says Jiménez, who recounts being robbed and receiving extortion calls demanding cash in recent months."It's been completely the opposite."

Peña Nieto arrived in office one year ago on Dec. 1, 2012, promising to calm the country and produce long-stalled structural reforms, which he said would allow Mexico to achieve 6% annual growth.

This is Mexico's moment," he said in his inaugural address — a line often repeated by boosters and analysts alike, summing up the sense of optimism for the Peña Nieto as he attempted to turn the page on years of insecurity and subpar economic growth.

But Peña Nieto's anniversary arrives amid a growing pessimism as the economy slumps, his agenda of structural reforms encounters resistance, and the security situation remains the same or worse in many places — prompting fed-up citizens in some areas to grab guns and organize vigilante groups.

Still, Peña Nieto can boast some accomplishments, such as a deal with a pair of divided opposition parties known as the "Pacto por México" to pursue a common policy agenda.

The "Pacto" produced education reforms that require teacher testing and stops old vices such as the selling of jobs. It also overhauled a telecommunications and TV sector characterized by little competition and companies running roughshod over the regulators.

"In his first year of government, he has been, in fact, a president in a hurry," wrote columnist Sergio Sarmiento in the newspaper Reforma. "He has shown a project for the country — independent of whether or not one shares it — and has taken vigorous measures to reach his goals."

But polls show the president's support has fallen as Peña Nieto partnered with a left-wing party last month to approve an increase in taxes, including a peso-per-liter soda tax, amid an economy that continues to slide

Just 44% approve of Peña Nieto's performance, according to a poll published Sunday by the Reforma. His disapproval rating reached 48% — up more than 50% since April.

"It's not great for a first year" and lower than the previous two presidents, says Federico Estévez, political science professor at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM). "He is very careful, he doesn't make big mistakes, but in the end he doesn't pull people … or get popular support behind him."

Peña Nieto promises to plow ahead with his agenda, in spite of the opposition, which has included irate teachers marching on Mexico City and public protests over an opening of the oil industry.

Security has remained problematic over the past year, although Peña Nieto has preferred to talk about Mexico's economic potential instead of cartels and crimes such as extortion and kidnapping — which he promised as a candidate to diminish by 50%.

The government says the homicide rate has dropped 18% in the past year, but advocacy groups say incidents of kidnapping and extortion remain stubbornly high and mostly unreported.

The western state of Michoacán, meanwhile, has experienced a wave of vigilante groups forming to fight off the cartels carrying out these crimes, and a Catholic bishop in the region penned an open letter accusing police and public officials of being complicit with criminals.

"The agenda of this government hasn't had security as a priority," says Edna Jaime, director of the México Evalúa think tank. "The government continues being on a learning curve. We don't see an overwhelming improvement … (or) a single success to offer Mexicans on security matters."