MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mexico's ruling party close ranks behind candidate

Felipe Calderon, 43, became Sunday Mexico's ruling party National Action Party, PAN, presidential candidate for the July 2006 general election.

At a national gathering of party members in Mexico City Mr. Calderon received the support from PAN's eigh state governors and thousand of delegates plus the presence of several cabinet miniters, Social Development Secretary Josefina Vazquez Mota, Tourism Secretary Rodolfo Elizondo, Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez and Communications and Transportation Secretary Pedro Cerisola.

Also on hand were his former rivals in the primaries, Santiago Creel and Alberto Cardenas, both of whom expressed their support for the party's now-official nominee.

PAN president Manuel Espino called on the party faithful to push ahead with the reforms process started by President Vicente Fox and urged all supporters to join forces behind Calderon.

Next year Mr. Calderon will face Institutional Revolutionary Party, PRI, candidate Roberto Madrazo and former Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, of the left leaining Party of the Democratic Revolution, PRD.

PRI held the Mexican presidency for 71 consecutive years until the party was defeated by current president Vicente Fox in the 2000 election. PAN is a conservative, Catholic Church oriented party. PRD, originally a PRI left splinter group has never ruled Mexico.

In the primaries Mr. Calderon overcame the disadvantage of having been criticized by president Fox, a move that led him to resign the post of Energy Secretary in May 2004. Mr. Fox' hand picked candidate was Santiago Creel.

Mr. Calderon earned a masters degree in public administration at Harvard University after studying law at the Escuela Libre de Derecho in Mexico City.

He was named Energy Secretary in September 2003 but was criticized by president Fox for having launched his bid for 2006 "too soon".