Historically, the Interior Minister in Mexico has been the second most important politician in the country. Last week, Juan Camilo Mourino, the Interior Minister and a close ally of President Calderon, died in a plane crash. He has been replaced by Fernando Francisco Gomez Mont Urueta, an influential lawyer and high-ranking member of the ruling National Action Party (PAN).
The appointment has taken place during unexpected circumstances, and given the importance of the Interior Ministry, it was imperative to name a new minister in Bucareli. In spite of this, President Calderon carefully appointed a man who will be constructing bridges between important sectors within the increasingly fractionalized PAN. His background as a prestigious lawyer will also help him to reach across the aisle and build consensus between political parties. This is an important task and Gomez Mont is likely to succeed at it. However, key government agencies like the National Security Agency (CISEN) are part of the Ministry. This places the Interior Minister at the center of the national security apparatus and Gomez Mont is not particularly famous for his experience in national security matters. Clearly, President Calderon is relying on some other ministries to protect the country.
Indeed, national security efforts seem fractionalized. In order to solve this problem, the current administration has been working on a new law that will allow the Ministry of Public Security to place several federal police units under a central command. This will require Congressional approval and Gomez Mont will be a key actor during the negotiations.
Felipe Calderon has been in office for less than two years, which means that Gomez Mont will have plenty of time to make things happen. However, this is also enough time to make plenty of mistakes. Hopefully, the balance will favor the implementation of good policy (if there is such a thing) in Bucareli. This will help the PAN to win future elections in a context where the PRI is increasing its political capital across the country.
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