Credit:UNESCO

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Two-in-five adults in Mexico are opposed to their government’s proposed plan to reform the country’s energy sector, according to a poll by Consulta Mitofsky. 42.6 per cent of respondents think Congress should vote against the plan, while 36.3 per cent think the legislative branch should approve it.

In the early 1920s, Mexico was the world’s second-largest oil producer. In 1938, after negotiations with foreign energy companies failed, Mexican president Lázaro Cárdenas effectively nationalized the Latin American country’s oil industry. Cárdenas established Mexico’s state-owned oil company Pemex, which to this day is the sole supplier of commercial fuels in the country.

Mexican voters chose their new president in July 2006. Official results placed Felipe Calderón of the National Action Party (PAN) as the winner with 36.68 per cent of all cast ballots. Calderón—a former energy secretary—took over as Mexico’s head of state in December.

Calderón’s government has tabled a bill that would allow Pemex to join with foreign investors in order to drill for oil in the Gulf of Mexico. The administration believes Pemex needs to find outside help to undertake deep-water drilling because it lacks the technology and resources to do it on its own. Pemex registered a 2007 net loss of $1.48 billion U.S., despite hiking world oil prices. Supporters of the government bill say domestic production is falling and demand is rising, which has forced Mexico to import oil.

Members of the opposition Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) oppose the bill. The Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) has so far backed the proposal, but wants to introduce changes. On May 13, PRI leader Beatriz Paredes said that her party "won’t support any change that means sharing the oil revenue with private companies," adding "The initiative’s proposals regarding contracts are suspect, confusing and open to interpretation."

Polling Data

At this time, from what you have heard, should the Congress pass the proposed energy reform?

Source: Consulta Mitofsky
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,000 Mexican adults, conducted from Apr. 24 to Apr. 29, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

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