Luis Videgaray Caso
Videgaray in 2017
Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico
In office
4 January 2017 – 30 November 2018
PresidentEnrique Peña Nieto
Preceded byClaudia Ruiz Massieu
Succeeded byMarcelo Ebrard
Secretary of Finance and Public Credit of Mexico
In office
1 December 2012 – 7 September 2016
PresidentEnrique Peña Nieto
Preceded byJosé Antonio Meade
Succeeded byJosé Antonio Meade
President of the Institutional Revolutionary Party of the State of Mexico
In office
8 April 2011 – 21 July 2011
Preceded byRicardo Aguilar Castillo
Succeeded byRaúl Domínguez Rex
Member of the Congress of the Union
Plurinominal
In office
1 September 2009 – 29 March 2011
Succeeded bySilva Fernández Martínez
Secretary of Administration of the State of Mexico
In office
15 September 2005 – 31 March 2009
GovernorEnrique Peña Nieto
Preceded byLuis Miranda Nava
Succeeded byRaúl Murrieta Cummings
Personal details
Born (1968-08-10) 10 August 1968
Mexico City, Mexico
Political partyInstitutional Revolutionary Party
EducationMexico Autonomous Technological Institute
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology

Luis Videgaray Caso (born 10 August 1968) is a Mexican politician who served as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2018. Previously he was the Secretary of Finance and Public Credit, also in the cabinet of Enrique Peña Nieto, from 2012 to 2016. Prior to Peña Nieto's victory in the elections, Videgaray was General Coordinator of his campaign for the 2012 Mexican presidential election.[1] On July 11, 2012, Peña Nieto announced Videgaray as the person in charge of promoting the economic reforms and the government agenda's related topics,[2] and on September 4, he named Videgaray as co-head of the team that set policy direction for the new government that took office on December 1, 2012.

In September 2016, a week after the visit of U.S. Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump to Mexico City to meet with President Peña Nieto, Videgaray resigned as finance minister. Videgaray was replaced as finance minister by José Antonio Meade Kuribreña the man Videgaray had replaced from President Felipe Calderón's administration.[3]

Until June 21, 2011, Videgaray was President of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Institucional, PRI) of the State of Mexico.[4][5] He served as Federal Deputy elected by the proportional representation principle for the 5th Circumscription, which includes the states of Colima, Michoacán, Hidalgo and the State of Mexico, he was also President of the Budget and Public Account Commission of the LXI Legislature of the Mexican Congress and General Coordinator of Eruviel Avila's campaign for Governor of the State of Mexico.[6]

Emilio Lozoya Austin, former head of PEMEX, accused Videgaray Caso in July 2020 of responsibility for a MXN $52 million bribery scandal related to Odebrecht in 2012-2014.[7][8] On 2021 he was disqualified to take any public role in his country.[9]

Early life and education

A native of Mexico City, Videgaray Caso is the son of Luis Videgaray Alzada and Guadalupe Caso. He is also older brother of TV host Eduardo Videgaray Caso. He obtained a bachelor's degree in Economics from the Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology (ITAM). He graduated in 1994 with the thesis "Failure of the market, regulation and incentives: Case of the Mexican port’s privatization.”[10] In 1998 he received his PhD in Economics from MIT,[11] specializing in Public Finances[12] with the thesis “The fiscal response to oil shocks.”[13] Later, he taught classes in the Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology (ITAM) and in the Ibero-American University (UIA).

Career

Political beginnings

In 1987 he joined the Revolutionary Juvenile Front of the PRI party. From September 16, 2005, to March 31, 2009, he was Secretary of Finance, Planning and Administration in the State of Mexico Government. Between 2008 and 2009 he became National Coordinator of the states’ Finance Secretaries. Before that, he was counselor of the Secretary of Finance and Public Credit, Pedro Aspe Armella (1992–1994), counselor of the Secretary of Energy (1996) and Public Finance Director of Protego Asesores, a consulting company owned by Pedro Aspe Armella (2001–2005) where the project about the public debt financing of the State of Mexico, Sonora, Oaxaca and Durango stands out.

Finance Secretary of the State of Mexico

On September 15, 2005, when Enrique Peña Nieto was sworn in as constitutional governor of the State of Mexico, Luis Videgaray was named Secretary of Finance, Planning and Management, position he had for four years. In his own words, the three columns of his administration were “more investment capacity to generate more resources, strong finances and modernization of the administration”.

During this period, several actions of fiscal discipline and modernization of the public sector were executed. The credit score improved and for the first time, this entity obtained an investment rank. The state's income increased more than 150% by expanding the contributor's base and making more efficient the taxes collection process.

Additionally, the state's debt of 25,000 million pesos was refinanced in order to be paid in a 25-year term with an interest rate 30% lower.[14] Another transaction in the same period—IDEAL's $700 million toll road ABS—obtained recognition in the Latin Finance magazine for the “2008 Deal of the Year" inaugurating the "Best Sub-Sovereign Financing” category.[15] Also, the state developed one of the country's most complete legal frameworks for providing services and the country's first project under this guidance were executed.

Federal Deputy

In 2009, he was elected Federal Deputy under the principle of proportional representation as part of the LXI Legislature of Mexico's Congress. As such he served as president of the Budget and Public Accounts Committee. He held this legislative seat until March 29, 2011, when he requested a leave of absence to serve as political campaign coordinator for the then candidate for Governor of the State of Mexico, Eruviel Ávila. Among the proposals approved during his tenure as congressman in the Chamber of Deputies, were:[16]

  • Enactment of the Law of Solidarity Support for Older Adults in Rural Areas presented in 2010.
  • Reform and additions initiative to the General Law of Persons with Disabilities of 2010.
  • Reform initiative to the Federal Budget and Fiscal Responsibility Law of 2011.

Campaign coordinator of Eruviel Ávila

Luis Videgaray requested a leave of absence from his seat in Congress in 2011, to coordinate Eruviel Ávila's campaign for governor of the State of Mexico. At the same time, he served as president of the State Steering Committee of the PRI.[17] Eruviel Ávila won the state elections held on July 3, 2011 with 61.47% of the vote, followed by Alejandro Encinas Rodríguez of the PRD with 21.6%, results that were ratified by the electoral authorities despite the challenges entered by the opposition against said results.[18] Videgaray led the campaign until its culmination in the elections of July 3, 2012, which resulted in Enrique Peña Nieto being formally declared[19] president-elect of Mexico on 31 August 2012.

Campaign coordinator of Enrique Peña Nieto

After Eruviel Ávila became governor of the State of Mexico, Luis Videgaray was appointed on December 14, 2011 by Enrique Peña Nieto as his campaign coordinator for the 2012 presidential elections.[20] During the development of that campaign, which began on October 30, 2011 of March 2012, Videgaray was related to the so-called "Monex Case" in which the local banking institution called Monex was allegedly used to buy votes by issuing cash cards that were distributed to targeted sectors of the population.[21] However, the accusations in the case were dismissed as unfounded by the Federal Electoral Institute (today the National Electoral Institute),[22] and Videgaray declared his party would abide by the decision of the electoral watchdog.[23]

Transition Coordinator

A few days after Peña Nieto's victory in the presidential elections, he formed a team that would carry out the rapprochement with the different political forces of the country and the preparation towards his inauguration as President. This team was formed by Luis Videgaray, Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong and Jesús Murillo Karam, the first of them as head of "public policies", the second as coordinator of "dialogue and political agreement" and the third as coordinator of "legal affairs".[24]

After that, in September of that year, the president-elect formed a new team of 45 people with aims to easing the transition from the administration of Felipe Calderón Hinojosa to the new government, which would take office on 1 December 2012. Luis Videgaray was appointed as chief coordinator of the team.[25]

In this role, he was a key figure in the process leading to important political agreements, known as the Pact for Mexico (Pacto por México). Along with Miguel Osorio, he led the transition team and the Institutional Revolutionary Party at the various meetings where discussions took place with Gustavo Madero and Santiago Creel representing the National Action Party, and Jesús Ortega and Jesús Zambrano for the Party of the Democratic Revolution.[26]

Minister of Finance and Public Credit

Videgaray was appointed Minister of Finance and Public Credit at the start of Peña Nieto's term.[27] In the position, he was one of the promoters of the economic reforms of the government of Peña Nieto. Such is the case of the Financial Reform proposed to the Congress of the Union on April 16, 2013,[28] which was promulgated on January 9, 2014,[29] and the Energy Reform, enacted on 20 December 2013.[30] At the end of Juanyary 2014 Videgaray was named by the London-based magazine The Banker as "Secretary of Finance of the Year" both globally and in Latin America.[31]

Alongside having a track record of spearheading contentious economic and financial reforms, Videgaray Caso was unable to avoid the political fallout of Enrique Peña Nieto's meeting with Donald Trump, whilst the latter was still the 2016 Republican presidential candidate. A week after the meeting, Videgaray announced his resignation on September 7, 2016.[32] Following much controversy, the Mexican government revealed that the idea to meet with Trump originated from Videgaray Caso.[33]

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Videgaray speaks in 2018

On January 4, 2017, before the January 20 inauguration of U.S. President Donald J. Trump, Videgaray Caso was appointed Secretary (Minister) of Foreign Affairs by President Peña Nieto. With a weakened peso versus the dollar since the U.S. election[33] and good relations with the incoming U.S. President facilitated in 2016 through Jared Kushner, Videgaray's appointment was deemed by one U.S. publication as "jarring to many in Mexico." The secretary, in his first speech in the position, though, said he would choose neither "a strategy of conflict, confrontations, and even insult, ... [or] a shameful submission." Instead, he said, Mexico would pursue a course of "intelligence and dignity, opening the doors to dialogue."[34] Upon his new appointment Videgaray also addressed a major subject of the Trump campaign - a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border which Mexico would pay for - stating about the payment "there's no way that could happen." Other issues to be addressed in this context with Mexico's northern neighbor are NAFTA and U.S.-owned manufacturing plants in Mexico.[35] On February 9, 2017, CBS News reported that Mexican officials said Videgaray, with Jared Kushner, helped to rewrite portions of Trump's speech about the U.S.-Mexico border wall, although the White House denied that assertion.[36]

As Foreign Secretary Videgaray also maintained an active participation in the negotiation process between the Venezuelan opposition and the government of Nicolas Maduro.[37] On the multilateral scenario, Videgaray signed, on behalf of the Government of Mexico, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the first document of its kind.[38]

Under his watch as Secretary of Foreign Relations, Luis Videgaray revamped the law of the Mexican Foreign Service, updating its main provisions regarding tenure, evaluation and benefits,[39] an initiative that was approved unanimously by both chambers of the Mexican Congress.[40][41]

On May 11, 2021 Luis Videgaray was sanctioned with a disqualification to take any public role in Mexico for ten years (in Spanish: inhabilitación) by Secretariat of the Civil Service. Videgaray was accused of not declaring his personal assets for three years.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Presenta Peña a su equipo de campaña; lo encabeza Luis Videgaray". Oem.com.mx. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
  2. ↑ El Universal. (11 July 2012). "Peña Nieto anuncia su equipo de trabajo; Videgaray entre ellos" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2012. Videgaray es nombrado coordinador de políticas públicas.
  3. ↑ Linthicum, Kate (2016-09-07). "Mexican finance minister who played a key role in Trump visit resigns". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  4. ↑ "Videgaray asume presidencia del PRI-Edomex - El Universal - Estado de Mexico". El Universal. 2011-04-08. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
  5. ↑ "Videgaray Caso, nuevo presidente del PRI mexiquense - Estado de México - Elecciones 2011". Terra. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
  6. ↑ "Luis Videgaray coordinará la campaña de Eruviel Ávila". Oem.com.mx. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
  7. ↑ "¿Quiénes son y dónde están los implicados por Emilio Lozoya en sobornos?". ADNPolítico (in Spanish). 25 July 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Lozoya revela que sobornó a panistas por órdenes de Peña". Nación321 (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  9. 1 2 Molina, Belén Saldívar y Héctor. "SFP inhabilita por 10 años a Luis Videgaray para ocupar cargos públicos" [Luis Videgaray disqualified by SFP from holding public roles for 10 years]. El Economista. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
  10. ↑ "Consulted in the "Raúl Bailleres" Library of the ITAM". Hammurabi.itam.mx. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
  11. ↑ Speech at MIT, 3 May 2018
  12. ↑ Ficha curricular de Luis Videgaray.
  13. ↑ "Videgaray Caso Luis 1968". Biblioteca.universia.net. 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
  14. ↑ "State of Mexico Leads Jumbo MXP Refinance" (subscription required), LatinFinance, April 17, 2008. Retrieved 2016-09-07.
  15. ↑ "Deals of the Year Results" (subscription required) Archived 2016-09-19 at the Wayback Machine, LatinFinance, February 1, 2009. Retrieved 2016-09-08.
  16. ↑ "Iniciativas por diputado". sitl.diputados.gob.mx. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  17. ↑ "El coordinador de campaña de Eruviel, nuevo líder del PRI-Edomex". Excélsior (in Spanish). 2011-04-08. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  18. ↑ "Videgaray: Eruviel gané a la buena y con la ley en la mano" [Videgaray: Eruviel won the good and with the law in hand]. El Universal (in Spanish). July 4, 2011.
  19. ↑ Instituto Federal Electoral (August 31, 2012). "Cómputo final, calificación jurisdiccional de la elección, declaración de validez y de Presidente Electo de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos" (PDF).
  20. ↑ "Luis Videgaray, nuevo coordinador de campaña de Peña Nieto | Animal Político". www.animalpolitico.com (in European Spanish). 2011-12-14. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  21. ↑ C.V., DEMOS, Desarrollo de Medios, S.A. de. "La Jornada: Videgaray, acusado de triangular fondos". La Jornada (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2018-04-13.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ↑ México, El Universal, Compañia Periodística Nacional. "IFE: sólo izquierda rebasó topes de campaña en 2012". El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-04-13.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ↑ "Acatamos resolución del IFE en caso Monex: Videgaray". www.elfinanciero.com.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  24. ↑ "Arma EPN primer grupo de trabajo con Osorio, Murillo y Videgaray - Proceso". Proceso (in Mexican Spanish). 2012-07-11. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  25. ↑ "Peña Nieto presenta un equipo de transición liderado por Luis Videgaray - Nacional - CNNMéxico.com". 2012-09-04. Archived from the original on 2012-09-04. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  26. ↑ "¿Cómo se logró? » Pacto por México". pactopormexico.org (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on 2016-10-30. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  27. ↑ "Presentan gabinete de Enrique Peña Nieto - Aristegui Noticias". aristeguinoticias.com. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  28. ↑ Contreras, Lourdes (2013-04-26). "5 compromisos del gobierno en la reforma financiera • Forbes México". Forbes México (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  29. ↑ "Peña promulga la reforma financiera". Expansión (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  30. ↑ Notimex. "Entra en vigor hoy la reforma energética". Milenio (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  31. ↑ México, El Universal, Compañia Periodística Nacional. "Videgaray, 'Secretario de Finanzas del Año'". El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-04-13.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  32. ↑ Semple, Kirk; Malkin, Elisabeth (2016-09-07). "Mexico's Finance Minister Resigns Amid Fallout From Trump Visit". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  33. 1 2 DeFotis, Dimitra, "Mexico Cozies Up To Trump As Peso Crumbles", Barron's, January 5, 2017. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  34. ↑ Woody, Christopher, "Carrots and sticks: Mexico is getting ready to make deals with President Donald Trump", Business Insider, January 9, 2017. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  35. ↑ "Mexico again says there is 'no way' it will pay for Trump wall", Reuters, January 10, 2017. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  36. ↑ "Mexican FM helped Jared Kushner re-write Trump border wall speech", CBS News, February 9, 2017. Retrieved 2017-02-9.
  37. ↑ Mercado, Omar Brito y Angélica. "Videgaray culpa a Maduro por crisis". Milenio (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  38. ↑ "México ratifica ante ONU tratado sobre prohibición de armas nucleares". Excélsior (in Spanish). 2018-01-16. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  39. ↑ "Reformas a Ley del Servicio Exterior, importantes y ambiciosas: Videgaray". Excélsior (in Spanish). 2017-04-28. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  40. ↑ "Cámara de diputados aprueba reformas a la Ley de Servicio Exterior Mexicano". El Universal (in Spanish). 2018-03-22. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  41. ↑ "Senado aprueba reforma a Ley del Servicio Exterior". Excélsior (in Spanish). 2018-03-20. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
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