Mexican presidential candidate Josefina Vázquez Mota, nominee of the incumbent National Political Action Party (PAN), faced what journalist Sergio Muñoz Bata called “a mission almost impossible” as the country’s secretary of education. Corruption remains endemic in Mexico’s schools, primary education levels are low, and the university system is uneven. But becoming the country’s first woman president, and keeping her party in power in the process, may prove just as difficult a challenge to overcome. In front of a large crowd at MOCA Grand Avenue, speaking in Spanish with a simultaneous interpreter, Vázquez Mota explained the problems her country is facing, the lessons she’s learned from watching President Felipe Calderón–and why she still has hope for Mexico’s future.

Note to Mexico City election lawyers: Vázquez Mota did all this off the campaign trail. As Muñoz Bata, the evening’s moderator, explained to the audience–who greeted the candidate’s entrance with a standing ovation–Mexico has rules that prevent presidential hopefuls from campaigning at this point in the electoral process. Vázquez Mota may not answer questions relating to the campaign, may not advertise, and may not even ask for a vote at the moment.

Why is Vázquez Mota the first woman with a real chance of becoming the president of Mexico? “I’m here not just because I’m a woman,” she said, but because “I have a different point of view on my country–an educational point of view.” Her experience also gives her perspective on the country’s economic problems and possibilities: she comes from a poor family–her grandmother sold food at the market in Puebla–and worked her way up the ladder.

Vázquez Mota emphasized Mexico’s democratic traditions, its youth (the average age is 28), and the people’s commitment to hard work. But the country is also facing challenges on many fronts, the foremost being education.

“We have to give education what it deserves,” she said. That means depoliticizing and democratizing the powerful teacher’s unions. “I believe in a union that provides freedom for its members, is pro-modernity, is pro-change,” she said–not to mention unconnected to any political party. She does think that the situation is improving, pointing to the fact that teachers now have to take an exam to secure a position, whereas previously in many states teaching jobs were bought and sold for as much as $15,000 or $20,000. But better education is the only way to make better citizens, and Mexico still has a long way to go.

Vázquez Mota also sees improvement in the economy, despite the effects of the downturn. A portion of the country’s middle class has been able to achieve financial stability thanks to working families with at least two people bringing in money. Seven million families have improved their situation, managing to buy a car, travel more, or even get their children a scholarship. In response to a question about those who have been left behind by any progress, Vázquez Mota said that she has visited many of the country’s poor regions–and that new economic regulations will help the poor as well as the middle class.

Part of Vázquez Mota’s plan to grow Mexico’s economy involves a closer relationship with the United States. Vázquez Mota met with Vice President Joe Biden–who called her the Mexican Barack Obama for her “Yes we can!” motto–to talk about immigration, human rights, and the North American economic agenda. Now is the time to build a bridge to Asia together, she said. “It was a meeting of trust and openness, and I believe it is time to strengthen this relationship and express confidence in what we can do.”

Crime and violence in Mexico was very much on Muñoz Bata’s mind. Nearly 50,000 people have died in the drug wars. Still, he pointed out, Honduras and Venezuela have also experienced many deaths yet without the same degree of negative news coverage.

“We have to acknowledge that a death is a death,” said Vázquez Mota, but she also agreed, noting that Mexico is dealing with other problems as well, and that tourism and social issues, as well as people who are facing economic adversity and moving forward, are also part of the picture.

In response to a question from an audience member about what she’s taken away from the way President Calderón’s administration dealt with drug trafficking and violence, Vázquez Mota enumerated several lessons. On the policy side, Mexico must improve local police, trace the route that laundered money is taking, and root out the politicians who are involved. There is also a human side to these lessons: “The victims need much more solidarity, and we need to go along with them in a more human manner, with more understanding, with all the force of the Mexican nation.”

Watch full video here.
See more photos here.

*Photos by Aaron Salcido.