Protesters March on Mexico Congress in Bid to Halt Education, Energy Overhauls Laurence Iliff - WSJ.com
go to original September 1, 2013

Thousands have marched in Mexico City, protesting over the proposed reform of state oil company Pemex. (euronews)

MEXICO CITY - Thousands of anti-government protesters fanned out across the Mexican capital Sunday in a bid to halt proposed overhauls to the education system and the energy sector, primarily, in a show of force one day prior to President Enrique Pena Nieto's first State of the Union speech and the start of the fall congressional session.

The day of protests is likely to be the first of many by opposition groups and the splintered Mexican left as they try to reach a critical mass that can stop or force important modifications to the so-called structural reforms that include a planned tax overhaul.

The demonstrators on Sunday were led by an offshoot of the teachers' union known as the CNTE that opposes reforms that would more strictly regulate the teaching profession, including independent evaluations. One of the chants during the march toward Congress on Sunday was: "It's the president who needs to be evaluated." The CNTE claimed that tens of thousands of teachers marched on Sunday.

Also marching were students from the loose-knit movement #yosoy132, who had opposed Mr. Pena Nieto's candidacy for the presidency last year. The demonstrators characterized the energy proposal as a sellout of Mexico's natural resources to foreign interests.

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