More protests and social unrest in Latin America: Mexico explodes in protests!

New Mexican president sworn in amid violent protests (VIDEO, PHOTOS) — RT

 

Protesters clashed with police outside the Mexican Congress in Mexico City on Saturday, as the country’s new president, Enrique Pena Nieto, took the oath of office. Hundreds of demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails, firecrackers and rocks at security forces, who responded by using tear gas to disperse the crowd. At least two protesters were injured, one seriously and a police officer with a bleeding face was taken for medical treatment, according to law enforcement agencies.

Mexican authorities erected security barriers around the Congress several days ago in anticipation of protests by groups opposed to Nieto and the return of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) to power. Forty-six year old Nieto, who will have the top job during the next six years, won the presidential election on July 1st by a narrow margin, with his victory has exposed deep divisions within the Mexican society. The president-elect has took over at midnight in a symbolic ceremony after campaigning as the new face of the PRI, repentant and restructured after the party was voted out of the presidency in 2000. The PRI had ruled for 71 years with a mix of populist handouts, graft and rigged elections.

Read More: New Mexican president sworn in amid violent protests (VIDEO, PHOTOS) — RT

A demonstrator throws stones at the police during a protest outside the Congress in Mexico City during the inauguration of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, on December 1, 2012 (AFP Photo / Ronaldo Schemidt)