Page 12 - aruba-today-20170130

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 30 January 2017

Mexico president gets a bounce from clash with Trump

Suddenly, the nation rallied down with Trump.
around him. “Under a national crisis
“We have to support the people rally around a lead-
president of Mexico, so he er. Now he’s got to keep
can defend the country’s leading, that’s important,”
interests,” said telecom said Peter Schechter, se-
magnate Carlos Slim, the nior vice president for stra-
world’s fourth-richest man. tegic Initiatives at the At-
“I would be very interested lantic Council. “There has
in seeing this unity last.” to be perception he con-
Even the government’s tinues to lead.”
most prominent critic, Former presidential spokes-
leftist presidential hope- man Ruben Aguilar saId
ful Andres Manuel Lopez the popularity bounce for
Obrador, has called on Pena Nieto may be short-
Mexicans who three weeks lived. “There is a certain
ago were marching in the feeling of unity around the
streets against the govern- president,” Aguilar said.
ment’s polices to support “But it is very possible that
Pena Nieto. this sentiment could evap-
Rising crime, a sluggish orate.” While most Mexi-
economy and a series of cans were flabbergasted
corruption scandals in his that Pena Nieto chose to
party had already sent the meet the Mexico-bashing
Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto pause during a news conference at the Los Pinos presiden- president’s popularity reel- Trump before the elec-
tial residence in Mexico City. ing. Things got even worse tion, many economic and
(AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) when the government — political analysts praised
which originally promised his cautious diplomacy,
MARK STEVENSON No more, thanks to Donald restraint by Pena Nieto’s lower fuel prices — im- meant to avoid a poten-
Associated Press Trump. government — infuriating posed a sudden 20-per- tially catastrophic rupture
WASHINGTON (AP) — Just Months of Trump’s insults to many Mexicans. cent increase. with a northern neighbor
a few days ago, Enrique Mexican migrants, threats But when Trump repeatedly Nationwide protests and that that buys 80 percent
Pena Nieto was a pariah to build a vast border wall insisted Pena Nieto accept widespread looting broke of the country’s exports.
president, dogged by pro- to keep out them out, de- paying for the wall, Pena out and Pena Nieto’s ap- But traditional cautious di-
tests and cursed with the port those who’ve arrived Nieto finally had enough proval ratings collapsed to plomacy may not always
lowest approval rating for and impose crippling taxes and scrapped a planned a historic low of 12 percent work in the Trump era.
a Mexican leader in recent on Mexican exports were Jan. 31 meeting with Trump in mid-January. “Being friendly, being cour-
history. met with teeth-clenched in Washington. Then came the mini-show- teous, now appears to be
weak, and Mexico should
Haiti holds final round of election cycle started in 2015 not and cannot appear to
be weak,” Aguilar said.
DAVID McFADDEN ed many. Alix Pierre, a Port- of Bel Air, Benite Oramise including one in the central Trump has endlessly re-
Associated Press au-Prince lawyer and one was the only voter during town of Mirebalais, where a peated that he’ll make
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) of hundreds of voters gath- the midmorning at a school suspect driving a white car Mexico pay for a border
— Haiti held a final round of ered at a polling station in serving as a polling station. threw tear gas outside a wall, and Mexican officials
legislative contests as well the Canape Vert section of “I hope people will come polling station, sending vot- have endlessly ridiculed
as long-overdue municipal Haiti’s capital, said he was after more church services ers into a panic. the idea.
elections on Sunday, clos- relieved the 2015 electoral are over. We should make Mirebalais Police Com- White House chief of staff
ing a repeatedly derailed cycle was finally conclud- our voices heard,” she said. missioner Calixte Mercany Reince Priebus told CBS’
electoral cycle that started ing. “It took such a long Across the country, ballot- confirmed that a political “Face the Nation” on Sun-
in 2015. time to get here,” he said ing appeared to be mostly party representative called day that the administration
President-elect Jovenel after casting his vote. calm with voters who de- a “mandataire” was ar- hasn’t yet determined just
Moise’s political faction Turnout elsewhere ap- cided to participate. Some rested for ripping up bal- how to make Mexico pay.
and its allies are hoping to peared to be paltry, with 12,000 police officers were lots during the melee. He He said the “buffet of op-
increase their majority in numerous voting centers in deployed — essentially the couldn’t immediately con- tions” could include a tax
Parliament with eight legis- Port-au-Prince and in oth- entire Haitian National Po- firm which faction the de- on goods coming across
lative runoffs. Voters were er spots of the Caribbean lice Force — to maintain or- tained man belonged to, the border, import and ex-
also choosing 5,500 district country of roughly 11 mil- der along with U.N. officers. but local radio station Vi- port taxes — even a tax
authorities in local elec- lion people serving only a There were three guns sion 2000 alleged he was on drug cartels or fines to
tions whose tardiness over trickle of voters. seized and 10 arrests re- with the Tet Kale party of people who come to the
a decade has exasperat- In the Port-au-Prince slum ported by midafternoon, the incoming president.q U.S. illegally.q