A Realistic Neighbor

Despite nine months on the campaign trail, Miguel de la Madrid remains shy and unaccustomed to public speaking. Throughout an interview with TIME Mexico City Bureau Chief James Willwerth and Reporter Laura López, the President-elect nervously moved his feet and twiddled his thumbs. Nonetheless De la Madrid's answers were confident and direct. Excerpts:

On the Election: Politically, it is an event without precedent in this country. Nine parties took part with seven candidates. The ideological spectrum is broad indeed. We have consulted with the people of Mexico in all sectors. We have dealt with all problems with truth and objectivity. The opposition parties of course have tried to place the blame for all the problems on the current government. I have said that our problems relate to the need to develop our country, but I recognize also that there were some errors. I think as Mexicans we are very proud of having had a widely democratic campaign. The competing parties had access to the media—in the streets, through radio, television and the written press—in greater proportion than their electoral force.

On Corruption: I have demanded the moral renovation of our society. I am convinced that he who serves the government must be strong enough to reject any type of corruption. It is my personal moral conviction. Never in my public career did I find the need to participate in acts of corruption in order to progress. On the contrary, my conduct was one of the factors that permitted my rise in public life.

On the Dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party: From the point of view of traditional democracy, the P.R.I, would appear to be an extraordinary phenomenon. I think that it has served Mexico well to have one majority party to give its revolutionary governments popular force. It has given Mexico more than 50 years of peace and development and sufficient flexibility to harmonize the great national interests within the party. The party has shown a tremendous capacity for adaptation and selfcriticism. We showed this again in this new electoral campaign.

On His Country's Prime Concerns: I recognize that Mexico has short-term economic problems with difficult but not impossible solutions. We will have to make a great effort of national solidarity to attack inflation and to combat instability in the exchange market. At the same time we must continue attacking the structural problems at the root of Mexican society. It is not the first time that the government finds itself with problems of this nature. Of course, now they are of a larger magnitude. The country is also larger. But Mexico is now in a superior economic position because of its oil reserves, natural resources and skilled people. In other countries under such circumstances of economic difficulty there are changes of government or coups d'état. Mexico is proving the solidness of its political system. This is a very important asset—more important than oil for solving the crisis.