On April 10th 2008, opposition legislators closed the podiums in both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. This action effectively forced the remaining members of Congress to take legislative action elsewhere and prevented a fast track approval of a key energy reform that affects the most precious natural resource in Mexico: oil. Between 2001 and 2006, on average, oil revenues constituted 7.9 % of Mexico's GDP and over 34 % of the income of the federal government.
Two days before the storming of both chambers of Congress, President Felipe Calderon presented a bill that is considered a major reform to the antiquated oil industry in Mexico. The oil industry has been controlled by the State since 1938 and is considered a pillar of Mexican sovereignty. Based on this popular belief, members of Congress from a coalition of leftist parties literally closed Congress in order to "defend the nation" from foreign interests that would take over the oil industry if the bill is approved. The legislators demanded a broad and public debate on oil reform.
Once again, the response from this sector of the Left, led by former Presidential candidate Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, has polarized not only Mexican society, but has also weakened the Left. A strong, coherent, and broadly supported Left is needed in a country that is mainly controlled by conservative sectors of society. For instance, a private organization called "Better Society, Better Government" (Mejor Sociedad, Mejor Gobierno) launched an advertising campaign that caused national controversy by comparing Lopez Obrador with Adolf Hitler and other infamous heads of government.
After more than two weeks of negotiations on a national debate over oil reform, the podiums were liberated on April 26th. While this sector of the Left achieved its short term objectives, once again liberal democracy in Mexico lost another battle to political polarization. Yet, the war for a moderate political system has not been lost. Future battlegrounds like the State of the Union Address in September, and national elections in 2009, will constitute some of the major tests to Mexico's evolving democracy. Hopefully, the Left will not have weakened more political institutions by then.
