Despite Mexico's recent economic upswing, and the fact that this will be the first government transition in 25 years that isn't blighted with an economic crisis, the country remains weak. It's estimated that 40 to 60 million of Mexico's 100 million citizens live in poverty. Furthermore, the gap between the rich and the poor would be better described as a grand canyon, where around 10 percent of the population holds nearly 40 percent of the wealth. Striving to make ends meet, nearly one-third of the economically active population work in the informal sector, where they do not pay taxes. Others turn to crime.
Education levels are still quite low, despite progress in recent years.
The average Mexican child receives just 7.7 years of schooling, although this is a great improvement over the average 2.8 years they received in the 1960s. Poverty, crime and a lack of education are all deeply entrenched problems that cannot be solved in just one six-year presidential term. However, Mexicans believe if there is one man who can spearhead a revolution, it is the same man who managed to swoop down and pluck the serpent from the country's path toward prosperity. Today I have news for all of you. Scarlet Pruitt is the editor of Business Mexico magazine.