Mexico’s presidential elections are topic at Rice’s Baker Institute Oct. 10

MEDIA ADVISORY

David Ruth
david@rice.edu
713-348-6327

Jeff Falk
jfalk@rice.edu
713-348-6775

Mexico’s presidential elections are topic at Rice’s Baker Institute Oct. 10

HOUSTON – (Oct. 9, 2017) – Mexican election experts aligned with the main political parties will gather at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy Oct. 10 to share their insights on the country’s 2018 presidential campaign, the parties’ platforms on the major public policy issues and the future of U.S.-Mexico relations.

Hosted by the Baker Institute’s Mexico Center, the event is free and open to the public but registration is required.

Who: Panelists John Ackerman, researcher at Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico; Carlos Angulo Parra, former representative for the state of Chihuahua in the Mexican House of Representatives; Luz Maria de la Mora, managing director and founder of LMM Consulting; and Gerardo Esquivel, professor and researcher at the Center on Economic Studies at El Colegio de Mexico.

Tony Payan, the Baker Institute’s Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies and director of Mexico Center, will serve as moderator.

What: An event titled “Mexico’s Presidential Elections and the Future of U.S.-Mexico Relations.”

When: Tuesday, Oct. 10, 6:30-8 p.m.

Where: Rice University, Baker Hall, Kelly International Conference Facility, 6100 Main St.

Mexico is gearing up for an important and very competitive presidential election in 2018, according to event organizers. The election will test the country’s democratic values, especially after the 2012 return of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), a party that until 2000 held a 70-year grip on government. It will also test the strength of Mexico’s 30-year tradition of addressing public policy issues by consensus; the country’s political parties, from both the right and the left, currently seek to redefine the role of government and the free market in areas such as economic development, trade, security and energy. Finally, the election outcome will show whether voters want a more forceful response from their leader to President Donald Trump’s sharp shift in tone toward Mexico, organizers said.

The public must RSVP for the event at www.bakerinstitute.org/events/1899. A live webcast will be available at the event page.

Members of the news media who want to attend should RSVP to Jeff Falk, associate director of national media relations at Rice, at jfalk@rice.edu or 713-348-6775.

For a map of Rice University’s campus with parking information, go to www.rice.edu/maps. Media are advised to park in the Central Campus Garage.

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Founded in 1993, Rice University’s Baker Institute ranks among the top five university-affiliated think tanks in the world. As a premier nonpartisan think tank, the institute conducts research on domestic and foreign policy issues with the goal of bridging the gap between the theory and practice of public policy. The institute’s strong track record of achievement reflects the work of its endowed fellows, Rice University faculty scholars and staff, coupled with its outreach to the Rice student body through fellow-taught classes — including a public policy course — and student leadership and internship programs. Learn more about the institute at www.bakerinstitute.org or on the institute’s blog, http://blogs.chron.com/bakerblog.