title: Religion in South Korea

text: Protestant missionaries entered Korea during the 1880s and, along with Catholic priests, converted a remarkable number of Koreans, this time with the support of the royal government which winked at Westernising forces in a period of deep internal crisis (due to the waning of centuries-long patronage from a then-weakened China). The lack of a national religious system compared to those of China and that of Japan (Korean Sindo never developed to a high status of institutional and civic religion) gave a free hand to Christian churches. Methodist and Presbyterian missionaries were especially successful. They established schools, universities, hospitals, and orphanages and played a significant role in the modernisation of the country.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: The penetration of Western ideas and Christianity in Korea became known as "Seohak" ("Western Learning"). A study of 1801 found that more than half of the families that had converted to Catholicism were linked to the Seohak school. Largely because converts refused to perform Confucian ancestral rituals, the Joseon government prohibited Christian proselytising. Some Catholics were executed during the early 19th century, but the restrictive law was not strictly enforced. A large number of Christians lived in the northern part of the peninsula (it was part of the so-called "Manchurian revival") where Confucian influence was not as strong as in the south. Before 1948 Pyongyang was an important Christian centre: one-sixth of its population of about 300,000 people were converts. Following the establishment of the communist regime in the north, an estimated more than one million Korean Christians resettled to South Korea to escape persecution by North Korea's anti-Christian policies. Catholicism in Korea grew significantly during the 1970s to 1980s.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: Orthodox Christian missionaries entered Korea from Russia in 1900. In 1903, the first Eastern Orthodox church in Korea was established. However, the Russo-Japanese War in 1904 and the Russian Revolution in 1917 interrupted the activities of the mission. After the North's army abducted Korea's only Orthodox priest at the time, Fr. Alexi Kim, at the start of the Korean War in 1950, and after the St. Nicholas Church building was destroyed by the 1951 bombing of Seoul, the small flock of Orthodox faithful was at risk of annihilation. In 1955, the Orthodox faithful of Korea wrote a letter to the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate asking to come under the Ecumenical Patriarchate's spiritual care and jurisdiction. Their request was granted, and the development and growth of the Church in Korea began to accelerate. Today, the roughly 5,000 Orthodox faithful of Korea remain under the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, whose Holy Synod elevated the flourishing Church in Korea in 2004 to the status of a "Metropolis." The non-Chalcedonian Coptic Church of Alexandria was first established in Seoul in 2013 for Egyptian Copts and Ethiopians residing in South Korea.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in South Korea was established following the baptism of Kim Ho Jik in 1951, which had 81,628 members in 2012 with one temple in Seoul. four Mormon missions (Seoul, Daejeon, Busan, and Seoul South), 128 congregations, and twenty-four family history centres.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church (통일교 "Tongilgyo") is a new religious movement founded in South Korea in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon, which has financed many organizations and businesses in news media, education, politics and social activism. In 2003, Korean Unification Church members started a political party named "The Party for God, Peace, Unification, and Home".


title: Religion in South Korea

text: World Mission Society Church of God and the Victory Altar are other Korean new religious movements that originated within Christianity.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: Anabaptist peace churches have not gained a strong foothold on the peninsula. Quaker thought briefly attracted a national following in the late 20th century, due to the efforts of Ham Seok-heon. However, after Ham's death, interest in Quakerism declined. The state of Unitarianism is similar.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: Factors contributing to the growth of Catholicism and Protestantism included the decayed state of Korean Buddhism, the support of the intellectual elite, and the encouragement of self-support and self-government among members of the Korean church, and finally the identification of Christianity with Korean nationalism. Christianity grew significantly in the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1990s and 2000s it continued to grow, but at a slower rate. Christianity is especially dominant in the west of the country including Seoul, Incheon, and the regions of Gyeonggi and Honam.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: Fundamentalist Christians continue to oppose the syncretic aspects of the culture including Confucian traditions and ancestral rites practiced even by secular people and followers of other faiths. Consequently, many Korean Christians, especially Protestants, have abandoned these native Korean traditions. Protestants in Korea have a history of attacking Buddhism and other traditional religions of Korea with arson and vandalism of temple and statues, some of these hostile acts have been promoted by the church.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: After the ban on syncretic traditions was lifted by the Pope, many Korean Catholics openly observe "jesa" (ancestral rites); the Korean tradition is very different from the institutional religious ancestral worship that is found in China and Japan and can be easily integrated as ancillary to Catholicism. Protestants, by contrast, have completely abandoned the practice.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: Korean shamanism, also known as "Muism" (무교 "Mugyo", ""mu" [shaman] religion") and "Sindo" (신도) or "Sinism" (신교 "Singyo" "Way of the Gods"). is the native religion of the Koreans. Although used synonymously, the two terms are not identical: Jung Young Lee describes Muism as a form of Sindo - the shamanic tradition within the religion. Particularly akin to Japan's Shinto, contrariwise to it and to China's religious systems, Korean Sindo never developed into a national religious culture.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: In contemporary Korean language the shaman-priest or "mu" () is known as a "mudang" ( ) if female or "baksu" if male, although other names and locutions are used. Korean "mu" "shaman" is synonymous with Chinese "wu", which denotes priests both male and female. The role of the "mudang" is to act as intermediary between the spirits or gods and the human plane, through "gut" (rituals), seeking to resolve problems in the patterns of development of human life.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: Central is interaction with "Haneullim" or "Hwanin", meaning "source of all being", and of all gods of nature, the utmost god or the supreme mind. The "mu" are mythically described as descendants of the "Heavenly King", son of the "Holy Mother [of the Heavenly King]", with investiture often passed down through female princely lineage. However, other myths link the heritage of the traditional faith to Dangun, male son of the Heavenly King and initiator of the Korean nation.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: Besides Japanese Shinto, Korean religion has also similarities with Chinese Wuism, and is akin to the Siberian, Mongolian, and Manchurian religious traditions. Some studies trace the Korean ancestral god Dangun to the Ural-Altaic Tengri "Heaven", the shaman and the prince. In the dialects of some provinces of Korea the shaman is called "dangul dangul-ari". The "mudang" is similar to the Japanese "miko" and the Ryukyuan "yuta". Muism has exerted an influence on some Korean new religions, such as Cheondoism and Jeungsanism. According to various sociological studies, Korea's type of Christianity owes much of its success to native shamanism, which provided a congenial mindset and models for the religion to take root.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: In the 1890s, the last decades of the Joseon kingdom, Protestant missionaries gained significant influence, and led a demonisation of native religion through the press, and even carried out campaigns of physical suppression of local cults. The Protestant discourse would have had an influence on all further attempts to uproot native religion. The "movement to destroy Sindo" carried out in South Korea in the 1970s and 1980s, destroyed much of the physical heritage of Korean religion (temples and shrines), especially during the regime of President Park Chung-hee. There has been of a revival of shamanism in South Korea in most recent times.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: Cheondoism (천도교 "Cheondogyo") is a fundamentally Confucian religious tradition derived from indigenous Sinism. It is the religious dimension of the "Donghak" ("Eastern Learning") movement that was founded by Choe Je-u (1824–1864), a member of an impoverished yangban (aristocratic) family, in 1860 as a counter-force to the rise of "foreign religions", which in his view included Buddhism and Christianity (part of "Seohak", the wave of Western influence that penetrated Korean life at the end of the 19th century). Choe Je-u founded Cheondoism after having been allegedly healed from illness by an experience of "Sangje" or "Haneullim", the god of the universal Heaven in traditional shamanism.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: The Donghak movement became so influential among common people that in 1864 the Joseon government sentenced Choe Je-u to death. The movement grew and in 1894 the members gave rise to the Donghak Peasant Revolution against the royal government. With the division of Korea in 1945, most of the Cheondoist community remained in the north, where the majority of them dwelled. Only few thousands of them remain in South Korea today.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: The social and historical significance of the Donghak movement and Cheondoism has been largely ignored in South Korea, contrarywise to North Korea where Cheondoism is viewed positively as a folk ("minjung") movement.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: Apart from Cheondoism, other sects based on indigenous religion were founded between the end of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century. They include Daejongism (대종교 "Daejonggyo"), which has as its central creed the worship of Dangun, legendary founder of Gojoseon, thought of as the first proto-Korean kingdom; and a splinter sect of Cheondoism: Suwunism.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: Jeungsanism (증산교 "Jeungsangyo") defines a family of religions founded in the early 20th century that emphasise magical practices and millenarian teachings of Kang Jeungsan (Gang Il-Sun). There are more than a hundred "Jeungsan religions," including the now defunct Bocheonism: the largest in Korea is currently Daesun Jinrihoe (대순진리회), an offshoot of the still existing Taegeukdo (태극도), while Jeungsando (증산도) is the most active overseas.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: There are also a number of small religious sects, which have sprung up around Gyeryongsan ("Rooster-Dragon Mountain", always one of Korea's most-sacred areas) in South Chungcheong Province, the supposed future site of the founding of a new dynasty originally prophesied in the 18th century (or before). Japanese Tenriism (천리교 "Cheonligyo") also claims to have thousands of South Korean members.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: According to Andrew Eungi Kim, there was a rise of new religious movements in the late 1900s which account for about 10 percent of all churches in South Korea. According to Kim, this is the outcome of foreign invasions, as well as conflicting views regarding social and political issues. Many of the new religious movements are syncretic in character.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: Only few contemporary South Koreans identify as adherents of Confucianism (유교 "Yugyo"). Korean intellectuals historically developed a distinct Korean Confucianism. However, with the end of the Joseon state and the wane of Chinese influence in the 19th and 20th century, Confucianism was abandoned. The influence of Confucian ethical thought remains strong in other religious practices, and in Korean culture in general. Confucian rituals are still practised at various times of the year. The most prominent of these are the annual rites held at the Shrine of Confucius in Seoul. Other rites, for instance those in honour of clan founders, are held at shrines found throughout the country.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: Hinduism (힌두교 "Hindugyo") is practiced among South Korea's small Indian, Nepali and Balinese migrant community. However, Hindu traditions such as yoga and Vedanta have attracted interest among younger South Koreans. Hindu temples in the Korea include the Sri Radha Shyamasundar Mandir in central Seoul, Sri Lakshmi Narayanan Temple in metropolitan Seoul, Himalayan Meditation and Yoga Sadhana Mandir in Seocho in Seoul, and Sri Sri Radha Krishna temple in Uijeongbu 20 km away on outskirt of Seoul.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: Islam (이슬람교 "Iseullamgyo") in South Korea is represented by a community of roughly 40,000 Muslims, mainly composed by people who converted during the Korean War and their descendants and not including migrant workers from South and Southeast Asia. The largest mosque is the Seoul Central Mosque in the Itaewon district of Seoul; smaller mosques can be found in most of the country's major cities. There are around a hundred thousand foreign workers from Muslim countries, particularly Indonesians, Malaysians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: The Jewish existence in South Korea effectively began with the dawn of the Korean War in 1950. At this time a large number of Jewish soldiers, including the chaplain Chaim Potok, came to the Korean peninsula. Today the Jewish community is very small and limited to the Seoul Capital Area. There have been very few Korean converts to Judaism (유대교 "Yudaegyo").


title: Religion in South Korea

text: During Japan's colonisation of Korea (1910–1945), given the suggested common origins of the two peoples, Koreans were considered to be outright part of the Japanese population, to be wholly assimilated. The Japanese studied and coopted native "Sindo" by overlapping it with their State Shinto (similar measures of assimilation were applied to Buddhism), which hinged upon the worship of Japanese high gods and the emperor's godhead. Hundreds of Japanese Shinto shrines were built throughout the peninsula. This policy led to massive conversion of Koreans to Christian churches, which were already well ingrained in the country, representing a concern for the Japanese program, and supported Koreans' independence. After the Allied forces defeated Japan in 1945, Korea was liberated from Japanese rule. As soon as the Shinto priests withdrew to Japan, all Shinto shrines in Korea were either destroyed or converted into another use.


title: Religion in South Korea

text: Sikhs have been in South Korea for 50 years. The first South Korean gurdwara was established in 2001. There are about 550 Sikhs in South Korea, now recently the Sikhs in South were allowed to acquire South Korean citizenship.


title: Rodrigo De Paul

text: Rodrigo Javier De Paul (; born 24 May 1994) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the Argentina national football team.


title: Rodrigo De Paul

text: Born in Sarandí, Greater Buenos Aires, De Paul joined Racing Club's youth setup in 2002, aged eight. He was called up to the main squad on 24 June 2012, while still a junior, for a match against Vélez Sarsfield, but remained unused in the 1–2 home loss.


title: Rodrigo De Paul

text: On 10 February 2013, De Paul played his first match as a professional, replacing Mauro Camoranesi in the 86th minute of a 0–3 loss at Atlético de Rafaela. He scored his first goal a month later, netting the last through a long-range shot in a 3–0 win at San Martín de San Juan.


title: Rodrigo De Paul

text: De Paul appeared in 19 matches during the 2012–13 campaign. He then played a key part in 2013–14, featuring in 35 matches and scoring four times.


title: Rodrigo De Paul

text: On 9 May 2014, it was announced that Valencia CF agreed to a US$6.5 million deal for De Paul with Racing. He signed a five-year deal with "Los Che" on 6 June, and made his La Liga debut on 23 August under head coach Nuno Espírito Santo, replacing Paco Alcácer in the 65th minute in a 1–1 away draw against Sevilla FC, but being sent off just one minute later due to fouling Aleix Vidal.


title: Rodrigo De Paul

text: He scored his first goal for the club on 4 December 2014 in the 2–1 win against Rayo Vallecano in the Copa del Rey. He followed this up with his first La Liga goal on 9 April 2015 against Athletic Bilbao, making 29 appearances in all competitions during his first season at the club.


title: Rodrigo De Paul

text: After making 14 appearances in all competitions during the first half of the 2015-16 season, including two in the Champions League. On 4 February 2016, he was loaned out by then Valencia manager Gary Neville to his former side Racing Club. He scored his first and only goal in a victory against Bolívar on 24 February in the Copa Libertadores.


title: Rodrigo De Paul

text: On 20 July 2016, De Paul was transferred to Italian Serie A club Udinese. He made his debut on 20 August 2016 against AS Roma in a 4–0 defeat. He scored his first goal for the club on 29 January 2017 against AC Milan in a 2–1 victory.


title: Rodrigo De Paul

text: He started the 2018–19 season with four goals in the first six matches of the Serie A season. He would finish the season as Udinese top goal scorer with nine goals during the 2018–19 Udinese Calcio season and also nine assists.


title: Rodrigo De Paul

text: On 15 October 2019, De Paul signed a new five-year contract at Udinese. He would score seven goals and gain six assists for Udinese in Serie A during the 2019–20 season.


title: Rodrigo De Paul

text: On 12 July 2021, De Paul signed a five-year contract with Atlético Madrid. He joined his new club just days after winning the Copa América with Argentina. On 7 December 2021, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3-1 away win against FC Porto in the final group game of the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League.


title: Rodrigo De Paul

text: De Paul made his senior international debut for Argentina in a 4–0 victory against Iraq on 11 October 2018, and later became a regular under manager Lionel Scaloni; he was part of the Argentina squad that finished third in the Copa América 2019 after beating Chile 2–1 in the third-place match.


title: Rodrigo De Paul

text: On 3 July 2021, De Paul scored the opening goal in a 3–0 win over Ecuador in the quarter-finals of the 2021 Copa América in Brazil. In the final of the tournament against the hosts Brazil, De Paul's long pass set up Ángel Di María to score the only goal of the match, allowing Argentina to capture their joint record 15th Copa América title and their first major international title since 2008. He was also part of the squad that won the 2022 FIFA World Cup.


title: Basketball court

text: Basketball courts come in many different sizes. In the National Basketball Association (NBA), the court is . Under International Basketball Federation (FIBA) rules, the court is slightly smaller, measuring . In amateur basketball, court sizes vary widely. Many older high school gyms were or even in length. The baskets are always above the floor (except possibly in youth competition).


title: Basketball court

text: Basketball courts have a three-point arc at both baskets. A basket made from behind this arc is worth three points; a basket made from within this line, or with a player's foot touching the line, is worth 2 points. The free-throw line, where one stands while taking a foul shot, is located within the three-point arc at 15 feet from the plane of the backboard. A foul shot is worth 1 point, but if a shot is made from the foul line while in play it is still worth 2 points.


title: Basketball court

text: The only two players permitted to enter this area prior to the tipoff are the players contesting the jump ball (usually but not always centers). Both players jump when the referee throws the ball in the air, each attempting to tap the ball into the hands of a player of their own team.


title: Basketball court

text: The three-point line is the line that separates the two-point area from the three-point area; any shot made beyond this line counts as three points. If the shooting player steps on the line, it is counted as two points. Any foul made in the act of shooting beyond the three-point line would give the player three free throws if the shot does not go in, and one if it does.


title: Basketball court

text: The distance to the three-point line from the center of the basket varies depending on the level or league, and has changed several times. These are the current distances, with the league or level using each distance:


title: Basketball court

text: The NBA adopted the three-point line at the start of the 1979–80 season. This is of variable distance, ranging from in the corners to behind the top of the key. During the 1994–95, 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons, the NBA attempted to address decreased scoring by shortening the overall distance of the line to a uniform around the basket. It was moved back to its original distance after the 1996–97 season. FIBA and the NCAA both adopted the three-point line in 1985.


title: Basketball court

text: In most high school associations in the United States, the distance is 19.75 feet. This was formerly the distance for college basketball as well. On May 26, 2007, the NCAA playing rules committee agreed to move the three-point line back one foot to 20.75 feet for the men. This rule went into effect for the 2008–2009 season. The three-point line for women (NCAA) moved back one foot to 20.75 feet at the start of the 2011–12 season. During the 2019 offseason, the NCAA men's playing rules committee adopted the FIBA arc in a two-phase implementation, with Division I adopting the new arc in 2019–20 and other NCAA divisions doing so in 2020–21. The NCAA women's arc was moved to the FIBA arc starting in 2021–22.


title: Basketball court

text: The international distance, used in most countries outside the United States, as well as in FIBA and NCAA competition, is currently 6.6 m (21.65 ft) to 6.75 m (22.15 ft). The WNBA uses FIBA's arc except in the corner area, where the minimum distance is the NBA standard of 22 ft (6.71 m).


title: Basketball court

text: The perimeter is defined as the areas outside the free throw lane and inside the three-point line. Shots converted (successfully made) from this area are called "perimeter shots" or "outside shots" as called during older NBA games.


title: Basketball court

text: The low post is defined as the areas that are closest to the basket but outside of the free throw lane. This area is fundamental to strategy in basketball. Skilled low post players can score many points per game without ever taking a jump shot.


title: Basketball court

text: The key, free throw lane or shaded lane refers to the usually painted area beneath the basket; for the NBA, it is 16.02 feet (wider for FIBA tournaments). Since October 2010, the FIFA-spec key has been a rectangle 4.9 m wide and 5.8 m long. Previously, it was a trapezoid 3.7 meters (12 ft) wide at the free-throw line and 6 meters (19 feet and 6.25 inches) at the end line; the NBA and U.S. college basketball has always used a rectangle key.


title: Basketball court

text: The key is primarily used to prevent players from staying beneath the basket of the opponents' team for long periods (maximum three seconds).


title: Basketball court

text: The no charge zone arc is a semi-circular arc drawn around the area directly underneath the basket. With some exceptions, members of the defending team cannot draw charging fouls in this area.


title: Basketball court

text: The no charge zone arc in all North American rule sets above high school level (NCAA men's and women's, NBA, and WNBA) has a radius 4 feet (1.22 m) from below the center of the basket. The no charge zone arc rule first appeared at any level of basketball in the NBA in the 1997–98 season. The NCAA restricted area arc was originally established for the 2011–12 men's and women's seasons at a radius from below the center of the basket, and was extended to match the 4-foot radius for the 2015–16 season and beyond.


title: Basketball court

text: On NBA floors, two hash marks are drawn at the end lines near the key to mark the area known as the lower defensive box. A defensive player is allowed to draw a charging foul within the restricted arc if the offensive player receives the ball and/or starts his drive within this area.


title: Basketball court

text: Also, two lines are drawn on each of the sidelines, 28 feet from each of the endlines, which designates the extent of the coaching box and bench. This line marks the farthest extent a coach (aside from the sidelines) can stand. Directly behind this area is the team bench.


title: Basketball court

text: On the half-court line of NBA floors two lines extend outside the playing court, designating the place where substitutes wait before they can enter the playing court; directly behind this area are the various off-court officials such as the timekeeper and reserve referee.


title: Basketball court

text: On April 26, 2008, FIBA announced several major rules changes involving the court markings. These changes took effect for major international competitions on October 1, 2010, after that year's World Championships for men and women, and became mandatory for other competitions on October 1, 2012 (although national federations could adopt the new markings before 2012). The changes were as follows.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is a 2000 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 home console. It was released worldwide in 2000 as a main installment in "The Legend of Zelda" series and was the second to use 3D graphics, following 1998's "", to which it is a direct sequel. Designed by a creative team led by Eiji Aonuma, Yoshiaki Koizumi, and Shigeru Miyamoto, "Majora's Mask" was completed in less than two years. It featured enhanced graphics and several gameplay changes from its predecessor, though it reused a number of elements and character models, which the game's creators called a creative decision made necessary by time constraints.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: The story of "Majora's Mask" takes place two months after the events of "Ocarina of Time". It follows Link, who on a personal quest ends up in Termina, a world parallel to Hyrule. Upon reaching Termina, Link learns that the world is endangered as the moon will fall into the world in three days.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: The game introduced several novel concepts, revolving around the perpetually repeating three-day cycle and the use of various masks that can transform Link into different beings. As the player progresses through the game, Link also learns to play numerous melodies on his Ocarina, which allow him to control the flow of time or open passages to four temple dungeons. Characteristic of the "Zelda" series, completion of the game involves successfully traversing through several dungeons, each of which contain a number of complex puzzles and enemies. On the Nintendo 64, "Majora's Mask"—unlike "Ocarina of Time"—required the Expansion Pak, which provided additional memory for more refined graphics and greater flexibility in generating on-screen characters.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: "Majora's Mask" earned widespread acclaim from critics and is widely considered one of the best video games ever made. It received praise for the gameplay, graphics, story and has been noted for its darker tone and themes compared to the other titles in the franchise as well for its distinct art style and level design. While the game only sold about half as many copies as its predecessor, it generated a substantial cult following. The game was rereleased as part of "" for the GameCube in 2003, for the Wii's Virtual Console service in 2009, for the Wii U's Virtual Console service in 2016, and for the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack in 2022. An enhanced remake for the Nintendo 3DS, "", was released in 2015.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: The gameplay of "Majora's Mask" expands on that of "Ocarina of Time". It retains the concept of dungeon puzzles and ocarina songs and introduces new elements including character transformations and a three-day cycle. As in previous installments, Link can perform basic actions such as walking, running and limited jumping (although sometimes Link performs flips), and must use items to battle enemies and solve puzzles. Link's main weapon is a sword, and other weapons and items are available—Link can block or reflect attacks with a shield, stun enemies by throwing Deku Nuts, attack from a distance with a bow and arrow, and use bombs to destroy obstacles and damage enemies. He can also latch onto objects or paralyze enemies with the Hookshot. Magic power allows attacks such as magical arrows or spin attacks and the use of special items such as the Lens of Truth, which allows the player to see invisible objects and disappears fake objects.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: Similar to the other games, the player has to progress through a variety of dungeons. These dungeons include numerous puzzles that the player needs to solve with the equipment and/or mechanics set in the dungeon depending on its theme. Similar to "A Link to the Past" and its predecessor, which is now a tradition into the series, the player can obtain a map and a compass for assistance, although they are optional. The player also has to find a key to unlock the boss' room. New to "Majora's Mask" are little fairies, which are collectibles. Fifteen are set through a dungeon and the player has to find them all and put them back in their respective fountain to gain a new ability, such as a greater defense or an upgraded "Spin Attack".


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: While the masks in "Ocarina of Time" are limited to an optional side-quest, they play a central role in "Majora's Mask", which has twenty-four masks in total.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: Link can transform himself at will into different creatures: the Deku Mask transforms Link into a Deku Scrub, the Goron Mask into a Goron, and the Zora Mask into a Zora. Each form features unique abilities: Deku Link can perform a spin attack, shoot bubbles, skip on water, and fly for a short time by launching from Deku Flowers; Goron Link can roll at high speeds (and grow spikes at higher speeds), punch with deadly force, pound the ground with his massive, rock-like body, walk in lava without taking damage, and weigh down heavy switches; Zora Link can swim faster than normal Link, throw boomerang-like fins from his arms, generate a force field, and walk on the bottoms of bodies of water. Many areas can be accessed only by use of these abilities.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: Link and his three transformations receive different reactions from non-player characters (NPCs). For instance, Goron and Zora Link can exit Clock Town at will, but Deku Link is not permitted to leave due to his childlike appearance. Animals also interact differently to Link's four forms. They are indifferent to Link's normal form, attack Deku Link, are frightened by Goron Link, and chase Zora Link.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: The final obtainable mask is the Fierce Deity's Mask. Even though the use of this mask is strictly limited to boss battles, it is possible to wear it anywhere using a glitch. Upon donning this mask, Link grows to nearly two-and-a-half times his normal height and gains white clothes and war paint on his face. Fierce Deity Link's sword is helix-shaped and shoots beams at enemies.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: Other masks provide situational benefits. For example, the Great Fairy's Mask helps retrieve stray fairies in the four temples, the Bunny Hood increases Link's movement speed, and the Stone Mask renders Link invisible to most NPCs and enemies. Less valuable masks are usually involved only in optional side-quests or specialized situations. Examples include the Postman's Hat, which grants Link access to items in mailboxes, and Kafei's Mask, which initiates a long side-quest to receive the Couple's Mask.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: "Majora's Mask" imposes a time limit of three days (72 hours) in-game time, which is about 54 minutes in real time. An on-screen clock tracks the day and time. Link can return to 6:00 am of the first day by playing the Song of Time on the Ocarina of Time. If he does not before the 72 hours expire, then the moon will destroy Termina and Link will lose everything he accomplished during these three days. A real-time countdown will begin when only 6 hours remain. However, returning to the first day saves the player's progress and major accomplishments permanently, such as the collection of maps, masks, music, and weapons. Cleared puzzles, keys, and minor items will be lost, as well as any rupees not in the bank, and almost all characters will have no recollection of meeting Link. Link can slow down time or warp to the next morning or evening by playing the Inverted Song of Time and the Song of Double Time. Owl statues scattered across certain major areas of the world allow the player to temporarily save their progress after activation and also provide warp points to quickly navigate the world.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: Other uses for music include manipulating the weather, teleporting between owl statues spread throughout Termina, and unlocking the four temples. Each transformation mask uses a different instrument: Deku Link plays a multi-horn instrument called the "Deku Pipes", Goron Link plays a set of bongo drums tied around his waist, and Zora Link plays a guitar made from a large fish skeleton. Jackson Guitars created a limited edition 7-string replica of this guitar that was the grand prize in a contest in "Nintendo Power", known as the "Jackson Zoraxe".


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: During the three-day cycle, many non-player characters follow fixed schedules that Link can track using the Bombers' Notebook. The notebook tracks the twenty characters in need of help, such as a soldier to whom Link delivers medicine and a couple whom Link reunites. Blue bars on the notebook's timeline indicate when characters are available for interaction, and icons indicate that Link has received items, such as masks, from the characters.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: "The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask" is set in Termina, a land parallel to Hyrule, the main setting of most "Zelda" games. Termina is a world that is trapped within a perpetual three day limbo, between the time when Link first enters Termina at the beginning of "Majora's Mask", and when a large falling moon crashes into the land causing its apocalyptic destruction and killing its inhabitants 72 hours later. The Skull Kid, a former inhabitant of Hyrule, obtains Majora's Mask and wills Termina into existence, due to the evil power of the mask combined with Skull Kid's heavy heart. The residents of Termina, who are created from the Skull Kid's memories, resemble the residents of Hyrule featured in "Ocarina of Time", and possess their own unique culture and myths. One of these myths tells of how Termina was divided into four quadrants by four magic giants that live in each of the land's regions and how harmony was restored to the land. The giants were friends of an imp, who repeatedly wronged the people out of anger caused by feelings of neglect. The giants, who were worshipped like gods, urged the imp to return to the heavens and restore peace to the world. This myth emphasises that Hyrule is Termina's heaven and that the imp is the Skull Kid. Termina is depicted as a darker, more unsettling version of Hyrule, in which landmarks are familiar and side characters who previously appeared in "Ocarina of Time" are presented with individual stories of misfortune.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: At the center of Termina lies Clock Town, which features a large clock tower that counts down the days before the Carnival of Time—a festival where the people of Termina pray for good luck and harvests. Termina Field surrounds Clock Town; beyond lie a swamp, mountain range, bay, and canyon in each of the four cardinal directions. Each of the areas contains a temple and is home to a unique race of creatures who have in some way been impacted by the misdeeds of the Skull Kid.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: The Southern Swamp contains the Deku Palace and the Woodfall Temple, an ancient shrine that contains monsters and a giant masked jungle warrior, Odolwa, who has been poisoning the swamp. The Snowhead mountain range, north of Clock Town, is the site of the Goron village. Normally a lush pine forest region most of the year, the area has been experiencing an unusually long winter caused by the mechanical monster Goht in Snowhead Temple. The western area of Termina, the Great Bay, is home to the Zora and Gerudo civilizations. A giant masked fish, Gyorg, is generating storms and contaminating the water surrounding the Great Bay Temple. The desolate Ikana Canyon, to the east of Clock Town, is the site of a former kingdom. It is inhabited mainly by the undead, except for a ghost researcher and his daughter Pamela, as well as a thief named Sakon. Two giant masked insectoid serpents known as Twinmold are casting a dark aura from their nest in Stone Tower Temple, causing the corpses of former citizens and soldiers to be revived as undead monsters.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: Romani Ranch, southwest of Clock Town, is the site of a ranch which houses Romani, her older sister, Cremia, Grog, and Mamamu Yan. In a sidequest, Link can help Romani protect the ranch's cows from being abducted by alien-like creatures of unknown origin colloquially dubbed "Ghosts", "Them", and "They".


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: After the final confrontation with Skull Kid, Link is transported to the inside of the moon, which is portrayed as a green field with a single, large tree in the center with five children donning the masks of the game's four preceding bosses playing underneath it and a fifth donning Majora's mask, who triggers the game's final battle, sitting against it. The children are never named nor otherwise referenced in the game, though they resemble the Traveling Mask Salesman.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: "Majora's Mask" takes place a few months after "" and begins with Link searching for his departed fairy, Navi. While riding through a forest in Hyrule on his horse Epona, Link is ambushed by Skull Kid wearing a mysterious mask and his fairy friends Tatl and Tael, who steal both Epona and the Ocarina of Time. Link follows them down a dark cave and confronts Skull Kid, who taunts him and casts a curse transforming him into a Deku Scrub. Tatl prevents Link from pursuing Skull Kid as he escapes with Tael, resulting in Tatl being separated from her brother. Having no other choice, Tatl asks Link to find Tael who flew to the Clock Tower of the land of Termina; there, he meets the Happy Mask Salesman, who offers to help Link heal his curse in exchange for retrieving the mysterious mask from Skull Kid, and tells Link he must also obtain the Ocarina of Time in three days.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: Link and Tatl enter Clock Town, in the middle of the Carnival of Time, set in three days. From a fairy, they learn that Skull Kid is waiting at the top of the tower, which is only accessible during the eve of the carnival. As the two interact with the residents of Clock Town, they learn of the havoc that Skull Kid had wrought prior to their arrival. At midnight on the third day, the Clock Tower opens, which Link and Tatl ascend. At the top, they confront Skull Kid, and Tatl implores Skull Kid to return the mask. Skull Kid uses the mask's power to expedite the moon's collision with Termina while Tael hurriedly speaks a riddle to them: "Swamp. Mountain. Ocean. Canyon... hurry, the four who are there... bring them here!" Link manages to retrieve the Ocarina of Time and plays the Song of Time, a song Princess Zelda taught him before he left Hyrule. Link and Tatl are brought back to the first day. Meeting with the Happy Mask Salesman again, Link returns to his human form and seals his Deku curse into a mask which can turn him back into a Deku Scrub at will. The salesman then explains that the mask conceals an evil, apocalyptic power that was used by an ancient tribe in hexing rituals known as Majora. The troubles caused by the mask were so great, the ancient ones sealed the mask to prevent it from being misused. Link starts his quest by first going to Woodfall; on the way, Tatl explains that Skull Kid was lonely and they became friends, and he stole Majora's Mask from the sleeping salesman. At Woodfall, Link becomes embroiled in a planned execution following the Deku Princess' kidnapping after the lake became poisoned. Link manages to save the princess, lift the curse and prevent the execution after saving a Giant, a being capable of stopping the moon's fall and learns that Skull Kid laid a curse on all four regions of Termina.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: At Snowhead, Link saves the Gorons from being frozen by a cursed winter with the power of the late legendary Darmani the Third. At the Great Bay, Link buries Mikau, a Zora whom is the guitarist of "the Indigo-Go's", a local music group intending to play at the Carnival. Link fulfills Mikau's last wish to save the Great Bay ocean, and help Lulu the singer to recover her voice she lost after giving birth to seven babies. Successful, they go to Ikana Canyon, where Link saves a family father and an army being cursed to live after being killed in an old war.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: With all four curses lifted, Link confronts Skull Kid again at the top of the Clock Tower and summons the Four Giants, who halt the moon's descent. Majora's Mask reveals he manipulated the Skull Kid and flies up to possess the moon instead. With Tatl at his side, Link follows Majora's Mask to the inside of the moon; deeper into the moon, Link encounters Majora in its bestial form, and defeats it once and for all, returning the moon to its proper place in the sky. The Four Giants return to their sleep, and it is revealed that they were former friends of Skull Kid; they were sealed to prevent him from using Majora's power. The fairy siblings reunite with the newly liberated Skull Kid while the Happy Mask Salesman takes Majora's Mask, now purified of its evil power. Link then leaves Termina on Epona after saying goodbye to Tatl, now close friends, while the Carnival of Time begins. In the post-credits scene, Link leaves the forest, and a drawing on a tree stump of Link, Tatl, Tael, the Skull Kid, and the Four Giants is shown.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: Following the release of "" in 1993, fans waited five years for "", the active development of which took four years. By reusing the game engine and graphics from "Ocarina of Time", a smaller team required only one year to finish "Majora's Mask", with development having started in January 1999. The game was developed by a team led by Eiji Aonuma, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Yoshiaki Koizumi. According to Aonuma, they were "faced with the very difficult question of just what kind of game could follow "Ocarina of Time" and its worldwide sales of seven million units", and as a solution, came up with the three-day system to "make the game data more compact while still providing deep gameplay". According to Aonuma, the concept of time repeatedly looping was inspired by the 1998 film "Run Lola Run". Miyamoto and Koizumi came up with the story that served as the basis for the script written by Mitsuhiro Takano. The idea of the "three-day system" came from Miyamoto and Koizumi. The development team's main goal was to make a refined, compact successor to "Ocarina of Time" that would allow players to have a different experience each time they played it.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: "Majora's Mask" first appeared in the media in May 1999, when "Famitsu" stated that a long-planned "Zelda" expansion for the 64DD was under development in Japan. This project was tentatively titled ""Ura Zelda"" ("ura" translates roughly to "hidden" or "behind"). This expansion would take "Ocarina of Time" and alter the level designs, similar to how the "master quest" expanded upon the original "Legend of Zelda". In June, Nintendo announced that ""Zelda: Gaiden"", which roughly translates to ""Zelda: Side Story"", would appear as a playable demo at the Nintendo Space World exhibition on August 27, 1999. The media assumed that "Zelda: Gaiden" was the new working title for "Ura Zelda".


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: Screenshots of "Zelda: Gaiden" released in August 1999 show unmistakable elements of the final version of "Majora's Mask", such as the large clock that dominates the center of Clock Town, the timer at the bottom of the screen, and the Goron Mask. Story and gameplay details revealed later that month show that the story concept as well as the use of transformation masks were already in place.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: That same month, Miyamoto confirmed that "Ura Zelda" and "Zelda: Gaiden" were separate projects. It was unclear if "Zelda: Gaiden" was an offshoot of "Ura Zelda" or if the two were always separate. "Ura Zelda" might have become "" outside Japan, and was released on a bonus disc for the GameCube given to those who pre-ordered "" in the US and bundled with the GameCube game in Europe.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: In November, Nintendo announced a "Holiday 2000" release date for "Zelda: Gaiden". By March 2000, what ultimately became the final titles were announced: "Zelda no Densetsu Mujura no Kamen" in Japan and "The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask" elsewhere.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: "Majora's Mask" runs on an upgraded version of the engine used in "Ocarina of Time" and requires the use of the Nintendo 64's 4 MB Expansion Pak, making it one of the two games that require said peripheral; the other being "Donkey Kong 64". "IGN" theorized this requirement is due to "Majora's Mask"s possible origin as a Nintendo 64DD game, which would necessitate an extra 4 MB of RAM. The use of the Expansion Pak allows for greater draw distances, more accurate dynamic lighting, more detailed texture mapping and animation, complex framebuffer effects such as motion blur, and more characters displayed on-screen. This expanded draw distance allows the player to see much farther and eliminates the need for the fog effect and "cardboard panorama" seen in "Ocarina of Time", which were used to obscure distant areas. "IGN" considered the texture design to be one of the best created for the Nintendo 64, saying that although some textures have a low resolution, they are "colorful and diverse", which gives each area "its own unique look".


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: The music was written by longtime series composer Koji Kondo, and Toru Minegishi. The soundtrack largely consists of reworked music from "Ocarina of Time", complemented with other traditional "Zelda" music such as the "Overworld Theme" and new material. Kondo describes the music as having "an exotic Chinese-opera sound". As the three-day cycle progresses, the theme song of Clock Town changes between three variations, one for each day. "IGN" relates the shift in music to a shift in the game's atmosphere, saying that the quickened tempo of the Clock Town music on the second day conveys a sense of time passing quickly. The two-disc soundtrack was released in Japan on June 23, 2000, and features 112 tracks from the game.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: In Japan, 314,044 copies of "The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask" were sold during its first week on sale, eventually selling 601,542 copies by the end of 2000. In the United States, it was the fourth best-selling game of 2000 with 1,206,489 copies sold for . In Europe, it was the eighth highest-grossing game of 2000 with €27,000,000 or grossed that year. Ultimately, 3.36 million copies were sold worldwide for the Nintendo 64.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: Like its predecessor, "Majora's Mask" received critical acclaim. The game holds a score of 95/100 on review aggregator Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim". Opinions were favorable regarding how the game compared with "Ocarina of Time", which is often cited as one of the greatest video games of all time. "Tampa Bay Times", who previously called "Ocarina of Time" "the Gone With the Wind of video gaming", claimed "Majora's Mask" outdid its predecessor. Reviewers praised its visuals, gameplay, writing, and soundtrack. Greg Orlando reviewed the Nintendo 64 version of the game for "Next Generation", rating it four stars out of five, calling it "another beautiful Link in the chain".


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: "Game Informer" called the three-day cycle "one of the most inventive premises in all of gaming", and also stated that "[w]ithout question, "Majora's Mask" is the finest adventure the Nintendo 64 has to offer". It is often regarded as the darkest and most original game in the "Legend of Zelda" series. "Edge" magazine referred to "Majora's Mask" as "the oddest, darkest and saddest of all "Zelda" games". "N64 Magazine" ended their review by saying that "it was told that "Majora's Mask" should cower in the shadow of "Ocarina of Time". Instead, it shines just as brightly", awarding the game 96%. IGN described "Majora's Mask" as ""The Empire Strikes Back" of Nintendo 64...it's the same franchise, but it's more intelligent, darker, and tells a much better storyline". "GamePro" characterized the story as "surreal and spooky, deep, and intriguing" and the game as living proof that the N64 still has its magic. "Majora's Mask" has also placed highly in publication and fan-voted polls.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: However, some critics felt that "Majora's Mask" was not as accessible as "Ocarina of Time". "Tampa Bay Times" argued it was the hardest game in the "Zelda" series simply because of its 3-day deadline. "GameSpot", which awarded "Ocarina of Time" 10/10, only gave "Majora's Mask" 8.3/10, writing that some might find the focus on minigames and side quests tedious and slightly out of place, and that the game was much more difficult than its predecessor. "GameRevolution" wrote that it "takes a little longer to get into this "Zelda"", but also that "there are moments when the game really hits you with all its intricacies and mysteries, and that makes it all worthwhile".


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: "Majora's Mask" was a runner-up for "GameSpot"s annual "Best Nintendo 64 Game" award, losing to "Perfect Dark". It was also nominated for "Best Adventure Game" among console games. The game was ranked 155th in "Electronic Gaming Monthly"'s "The Greatest 200 Video Games of Their Time" in 2006.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: In 2003, Nintendo rereleased "Majora's Mask" on the GameCube as part of "The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition", a special promotional disc which also contained three other "The Legend of Zelda" games and a twenty-minute demo of "". This disc came bundled with a GameCube console, as part of a subscription offer to "Nintendo Power" magazine, or through Nintendo's official website. The Collector's Edition was also available through the Club Nintendo reward program, with a bonus discount offered in 2004 with the purchase of "" during the month long .


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: Similar to other GameCube rereleases, versions of the games featured in the "Collector's Edition" are emulations of the originals using GameCube hardware. The only differences are minor adjustments to button icons to resemble the buttons on the GameCube controller. "Majora's Mask" also boots with a disclaimer that some of the original sounds from the game may cause problems due to their emulation. Aside from these deliberate changes, GameSpot's Ricardo Torres found that the frame rate "appears choppier" and noted inconsistent audio. The GameCube version also features a slightly higher native resolution than its Nintendo 64 counterpart, as well as progressive scan.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: "Majora's Mask" was released on the Wii's Virtual Console service in Europe and Australia on April 3, 2009, and Japan on April 7. It was later released in North America on May 18 and commemorated as the 300th Virtual Console game available for purchase in the region. During January 2012, Club Nintendo members could download "Majora's Mask" onto the Wii Console for 150 coins. A similar deal was offered at the end of Club Nintendo in 2015. The game was released for the Wii U's Virtual Console service in Europe on June 23, 2016 and in North America on November 24. "Majora's Mask" was released through the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack service on February 25, 2022.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: The game served as the primary inspiration for the popular 2010s web serial and web series "Ben Drowned" by Alexander D. Hall, which helped define the creepypasta genre of online storytelling. Content based on "Majora's Mask" has also appeared in the "Super Smash Bros." series. A stage based on the Great Bay Coast area of the game, titled "Great Bay", appears in "Super Smash Bros. Melee" and "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate". Skull Kid also appears as a computer-controlled Assist Trophy in "Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U" and "Ultimate", while the Moon appears as an Assist Trophy in "Ultimate" as well. A Skull Kid-themed mask is available as customizable headgear to be worn by Mii characters in "Nintendo 3DS and Wii U" and "Ultimate".


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: A fan-made patch for the Nintendo 64 version entitled "N64HD"—featuring enhanced graphics, textures, and lighting—was released in 2021. Having been in development for five years, it overhauls over 6000 in-game textures.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: After the release of "", a remake of "Ocarina of Time" for the Nintendo 3DS, director Eiji Aonuma suggested that a "Majora's Mask" remake was dependent on interest and demand. Following this news, a fan campaign called "Operation Moonfall" was launched to promote a remake of "Majora's Mask" for the 3DS. The campaign name is a reference to a similar fan-based movement, Operation Rainfall, set up to persuade Nintendo of America to localize a trio of role-playing games for the Wii. The petition reached 10,000 signatures within five days. In response to an email sent by a customer, a representative of Nintendo of America revealed that they had no official announcements of "Majora's Mask" remake, but they were interested to hear about what fans wanted, acknowledging their campaign. Both "Zelda" producer Eiji Aonuma and Miyamoto expressed interest in developing the remake in the future.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

text: A remake of "Majora's Mask", titled "The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D", was released worldwide in February 2015. Like "Ocarina of Time 3D" before it, the remake features improved character models and stereoscopic 3D graphics, along with altered boss battles, an additional fishing minigame, and support for New Nintendo 3DS systems. To update the game for modern audiences, Aonuma and the team at Grezzo compiled a list of gameplay moments that stuck out to them as unreasonable for players, colloquially dubbed the "what in the world" list. The game's release coincided with the launch of the New Nintendo 3DS system in North America and Europe. A special edition New Nintendo 3DS XL model was launched alongside the game, with the European release featuring a pin badge, double-sided poster, and steelbook case. The UK retailer Game offered a "Majora's Mask"-themed paperweight as a pre-order bonus for the standard edition of the game.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: Enrique Peña Nieto (; born 20 July 1966), commonly referred to by his initials EPN, is a Mexican politician who served as the 64th president of Mexico from 1 December 2012 to 30 November 2018. A member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), he previously served as Governor of the State of Mexico from 2005 to 2011, local deputy from 2003 to 2004, and Secretary of Administration from 2000 to 2002.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: Born in Atlacomulco and raised in Toluca, Peña Nieto attended Panamerican University, graduating with a B.A. in legal studies. After attaining a MBA from ITESM, he began his political career by joining the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in 1984. After serving as a public notary in Mexico City, he began an ascent through local political ranks in the late 1990s, culminating in his 2005 campaign for Governor of the State of Mexico. As governor, he pledged to deliver 608 "compromisos" (commitments) to his constituency to varying levels of success. His tenure was marked by low-to-moderate approval of his handling of a rising murder rate, the San Salvador Atenco civil unrest, and various public health issues. He launched his 2012 presidential campaign on a platform of economic competitiveness and open government. After performing well in polls and a series of high-profile candidate withdrawals, Peña Nieto was elected president with 38.14% of the vote.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: As president, he instated the multilateral Pact for Mexico, which soothed inter-party fighting and led to increased legislation across the political spectrum. During his first four years, Peña Nieto led an expansive breakup of monopolies, liberalized Mexico's energy sector, reformed public education, and modernized the country's financial regulation. However, political gridlock and allegations of media bias gradually worsened corruption, crime, and drug trade in Mexico. Global drops in oil prices limited the success of his economic reforms, which lowered political support for Peña Nieto. His handling of the Iguala mass kidnapping in 2014 and the escape of drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán from Altiplano prison in 2015 sparked international criticism. Guzmán himself claims to have bribed Peña Nieto during his trial. As of 2022, he is additionally part of the Odebrecht controversy, with former head of Pemex Emilio Lozoya Austin declaring that Peña Nieto's presidential campaign benefited from illegal campaign funds provided by Odebrecht in exchange for future favors.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: Historical evaluations and approval rates of his presidency have been mostly negative. Detractors highlight a series of failed policies and a strained public presence while supporters note increased economic competitiveness and loosening of gridlock. He began his term with an approval rate of 50%, hovered around 35% during his inter-years and finally bottomed out at 12% in January 2017. He left office with an approval rating of only 18% and 77% of disapproval. Peña Nieto is seen as one of the most controversial and least popular presidents in the history of Mexico.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: Enrique Peña Nieto was born on 20 July 1966 in Atlacomulco, State of Mexico, a city northwest of Mexico City. He is the oldest of four siblings; his father, Gilberto Enrique Peña del Mazo, was an electrical engineer; his mother, María del Perpetuo Socorro Ofelia Nieto Sánchez, a schoolteacher. He is the nephew of two former governors of the State of México: on his mother's side, Arturo Montiel; on his father's, Alfredo del Mazo González. He attended Denis Hall School in Alfred, Maine, during one year of junior high school in 1979 to learn English. After living in Atlacomulco for the first 11 years of his life, Peña Nieto's family moved to the city of Toluca.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: In 1975, his father would often take him to the campaign rallies of the State of Mexico's governor, Jorge Jiménez Cantú, a close friend of Peña del Mazo. The successor of the governor was Alfredo del Mazo González, a cousin of Peña Nieto's father. During Del Mazo González's campaign in 1981, the fifteen-year-old Peña Nieto had his first direct contact with Mexican politics: he began delivering campaign literature in favor of his relative, a memory Peña Nieto recalls as the turning point and start of his deep interest in politics.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: In 1984 at the age of 18, Peña Nieto traveled to Mexico City and enrolled in the Panamerican University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in legal studies. Peña Nieto's academic thesis was found to contain some improper citations and plagiarism, which stirred controversy in May 2016. Peña Nieto sought a master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) at the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM), based in the State of Mexico.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: Peña Nieto joined the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in 1984, and with a law degree nearly completed, he began earning his own money. During his final years in college, Peña Nieto worked for a public notary in Mexico City, around the same time when his relative Alfredo del Mazo González was mentioned as a firm candidate for the 1988 presidential elections. In his twenties, he worked at the San Luis Industrial Corporation, an auto parts manufacturer, and at the law firm Laffan, Muse and Kaye. While still a student at the Universidad Panamericana, he roomed with Eustaquio de Nicolás, the current president of Homex, a leading Mexican construction and real estate company. He also befriended and roomed with Luis Miranda, who occupied several offices during the 1999–2000 administration in the State of Mexico.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: Peña Nieto formally started his political career under the mentorship of Montiel Rojas, becoming the Secretary of the Citizen Movement of Zone I of the State Directive Committee of the National Confederation of Popular Organizations (CNOP), one of the three sectors of the PRI. For three consecutive years, Peña Nieto participated as a delegate to the Organization and Citizen Front in different municipalities of the State of Mexico. Then, between 1993 and 1998, during Emilio Chuayfett's term as governor, Peña Nieto was chief of staff and personal secretary to Montiel Rojas, the Secretary of Economic Development of the State of Mexico.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: After 1999, Peña Nieto went from having low-level secretary positions to higher and more qualified offices. He served from 1999 to 2000 as the sub-secretary of government, and as financial sub-coordinator of the political campaign of Montiel Rojas. In 2001, Montiel Rojas named Peña Nieto Sub-secretary of Interior in the State of Mexico, a position that granted him the opportunity to meet and forge relationships with top PRI politicians and business leaders. After his term concluded, he served as the administrative secretary, as president of the Directive Council of Social Security, as president of the Internal Council of Health, and as vice president of the National System for Integral Family Development – all in the State of Mexico. Under the wing of Montiel Rojas, Peña Nieto formed a group known as the "Golden Boys of Atlacomulco" with other members of the PRI.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: Peña Nieto was elected to a local deputy position in his hometown of Atlacomulco, State of Mexico, in 2003. Two years later, the governorship of the State of Mexico was sought by Atlacomulco-natives Carlos Hank Rhon, Isidro Pastor, Héctor Luna de la Vega, Guillermo González Martínez, Óscar Gustavo Cárdenas Monroy, Eduardo Bernal Martínez, Cuauhtémoc García Ortega and Fernando Alberto García Cuevas. Peña Nieto was among the crowd, but was not poised as one of the favorites. Nonetheless, in 2005, Peña Nieto was the last man standing, succeeding Montiel Rojas as governor of the State of Mexico. On 12 February 2005, with 15,000 supporters in attendance, he was sworn in as candidate for the PRI.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: On 15 September 2005, Peña Nieto was sworn as governor of the State of Mexico at the Morelos theater in Toluca. Among the attendees were the outgoing governor, Arturo Montiel; the president of the Superior Court of Justice, José Castillo Ambriz; former governors, members of Peña Nieto's cabinet and party, mayors, businessmen, and church figures. The centerpiece of Peña Nieto's governorship was his claim that he was to deliver his "compromisos" – 608 promises he signed in front of a notary to convince voters that he would deliver results and be an effective leader. According to "El Universal", during Peña Nieto's first year as governor, his administration delivered 10 of the structural promises he had advocated in his campaign – marking the lowest figure in his six-year term.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: By 2006, his administration carried out 141 of the promised projects, making that year the most active in the governor's term. The 608 projects Peña Nieto proposed consisted of creating highways, building hospitals, and creating adequate water systems to provide fresh water throughout the state. The most important of these was highway infrastructure, which tripled under Peña's government. By mid-2011, the official page of the State of Mexico noted that only two projects were left. The major projects in public transportation were the Suburban Railway of the Valley of Mexico Metropolitan Area and the "Mexibús", both of which served commuters between Mexico City and the State of Mexico, providing service to more than 300,000 people every day and 100 million a year. Regarding public health services, 196 hospitals and medical centers were built throughout the state and the number of mobile units to attend remote and vulnerable areas doubled. Deaths caused by respiratory diseases were reduced by 55%, while deaths caused by dysentery and cervical cancer were reduced by 68% and 25% respectively. In addition, between 2005 and 2011, the State of Mexico was able to fulfill the requirement of the World Health Organization of having one doctor for every 1,000 inhabitants. The funds for these and all the other commitments were obtained through restructuring the state's public debt, a strategy designed by his first Secretary of Finance, Luis Videgaray Caso. The restructuring also managed to keep the debt from increasing during Peña Nieto's term because the tax base was broadened to the point that it doubled in six years.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: Peña Nieto also claimed that he halved the murder rate in the State of Mexico during his time as governor, but retracted this claim after "The Economist" showed that the murder rate did not diminish and was being measured in a different way.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: The Yo Soy 132 student movement criticized Peña Nieto for his stance on the San Salvador Atenco unrest, which occurred during his term as governor. A report from the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) stated protestors were subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, arbitrary arrests and sexual assault, and remarked the excessive use of force by state and federal police. Peña Nieto stated in an interview that he does not justify the actions of the state and municipal forces, but also mentioned that they were not gladly received by the citizens of San Salvador Atenco upon their arrival.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: On 23 November 2011, Peña Nieto went to a book fair in Casa del Lago, Mexico City. There he presented his book "México, la gran esperanza (Mexico, the great hope)". He was accompanied by writer Héctor Aguilar Camín, the former governor of Mexico's Central Bank, Guillermo Ortiz Martínez, and the journalist Jaime Sánchez Susarrey. In the book, Peña Nieto argued that Mexico needed to expand its economy to create more jobs, insisting that in the past the country has only created jobs in the informal sector. Additionally, he argued that promoting Pemex (Mexico's state-owned oil company) to compete in the private sector would create more jobs, elevate productivity, and balance wealth distribution across Mexico. Peña Nieto dedicated the book to his wife Angélica Rivera and to governor Eruviel Ávila Villegas and his family. Peña Nieto said that the return of the PRI marks a new era in Mexico, and that his book served as a starting point to take Mexico "to better horizons".


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: On 27 November 2011, a few days after the book fair, Peña Nieto was the PRI's last standing nominee for the 2012 Mexican presidential elections. The former State of Mexico governor completed his nomination at an event that gathered sympathizers and politicians. Six days earlier, the senator and preliminary candidate of the PRI, Manlio Fabio Beltrones, withdrew from the race and gave Peña Nieto a clear path towards the presidency. During a book fair a month later, Peña Nieto's public image came into question after he struggled to answer a question that asked which three books had marked his life. Later, Peña Nieto was interviewed by "El País" and admitted that he did not know the price of tortillas. When he was criticized as being out of touch, Peña Nieto insisted that he was not "the woman of the household" and thus would not know the price.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: On 1 July 2012, Mexico's presidential election took place. In an initial, partial count issued that night, the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) announced that based on a fast vote counting, Peña Nieto was leading the election with 38% of the votes. His nearest competitor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, was just 6 points behind him. The figures were meant to be a representative sample of the votes nationwide; but shortly after this announcement, Peña Nieto appeared on national television claiming victory. "This Sunday, Mexico won", he said. He then thanked his voters and promised to run a government "responsible and open to criticism." At the PRI headquarters in Mexico City, the victory party began. With more than 97% of the votes counted on election day, the PRI had won with about 38% of the votes, 6.4 points above the leftist candidate López Obrador of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), who refused to concede to the results and had threatened to challenge the outcome, criticizing the PRI for allegedly engaging in vote buying and receiving illegal campaign contributions.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: Peña Nieto was sworn in as President of Mexico on 1 December 2012 at the federal congress and later flew to a military parade to formally take control of the armed forces. During his inauguration speech at the National Palace, Peña Nieto proposed his agendas and reforms for the new administration. Before and after the inauguration, in an event that has been labeled by the media as the "1DMX", protesters rioted outside of the National Palace and clashed with Federal Police forces, vandalizing hotel structures and setting fires in downtown Mexico City. More than 90 protesters were arrested and several were injured. Mayor Marcelo Ebrard blamed "anarchist groups" for the violence. However, there is evidence that agents of provocation worked with the police, paid 300 Mexican pesos (about US$20) for their acts of vandalism, according to media reports. Photos show protesters waiting in groups behind police lines prior to the violence. Previous protests had been entirely peaceful, but on this occasion, in apparent response to violence, the police fired rubber bullets. The day after his inauguration, Peña Nieto announced the Pact for Mexico, an agreement that he had struck with the leaders of the two other major parties at the time, Jesús Zambrano Grijalva of the Party of the Democratic Revolution and Gustavo Madero Muñoz of the National Action Party, about the government's goals for the next few years. On 1 December 2018, Enrique Peña Nieto left office and was succeeded by Andrés Manuel López Obrador.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: The auto manufacturing industry expanded rapidly under Nieto's presidency. In 2014, more than US$10 billion was committed in investment in the sector. In conjunction with Kia Motors in August 2014, the president announced plans for Kia to build a US$1 billion factory in Nuevo León. At the time, Mercedes-Benz and Nissan were already building a US$1.4 billion plant near Puebla, while BMW was planning a US$1 billion assembly plant in San Luis Potosí. Audi began building a US$1.3 billion factory near Puebla in 2013. As of December 2014, two years into Peña Nieto's term, total investment in the auto sector in Mexico had reached US$19 billion. The Bajío Region has received the majority of this investment, and with its rapidly expanding aerospace industry has become the fastest-growing region in the country. In February 2014, "Time" was met with controversy for the release of a cover featuring Enrique Peña Nieto with the caption "Saving Mexico" (written by Michael Crowley), as the cover article's title inside the magazine. The controversial article praised the president and his cabinet for reforms like opening oil fields for foreign investment for the first time in 75 years (a reform towards which Mexican citizens have shown mixed feelings), ending the Mexican drug wars (which was not completely accurate), and even going as far as saying "the opposition party blocked major reforms that were necessary", that "American leaders could learn a thing or two from their resurgent southern neighbor" and saying Mexicans citizens' "alarms were replaced with applause".


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: According to the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), between December 2012 and June 2016, more than two million jobs were created in Mexico. Of those jobs, 41% were taken by women and 36% were taken by individuals between 20 and 34 years of age. IMSS also revealed that 86% were long-term jobs and 14% were temporary. These jobs have led to a 26% increase in revenue accumulation for IMSS, an additional MXN$50 billion. More than half a million jobs had salaries worth five minimum wages (about MXN$10,000 per month) and there was a 22% increase in jobs with salaries greater than 20 minimum wages.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: At the end of May 2016, Peña Nieto signed a law that will create special economic zones in economically depressed southern states. The first three are: Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán; Port Chiapas, Chiapas; and in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to better join the ports of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz and Salina Cruz, Oaxaca. Another zone in the petroleum region of Tabasco and Campeche, hit by the downturn in the oil industry, is planned for 2017.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: The special economic zones are meant to alleviate the lack of industry in the South. During the signing, Peña Nieto highlighted the difference between the South and the industrial North and Center of Mexico: two of every three people in extreme poverty in Mexico live in the southern states. While the three poorest states (Chiapas, Oaxaca and Guerrero) have about 10% of the population, they only receive $1 of every $36 in foreign direct investment in the country. He went on to say that there are two Mexicos: one "that competes and wins in the global economy, with growing levels of income, development and well-being", while the other Mexico "has been left behind [and] hasn't been able to take advantage of its potential."


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: The special economic zones will offer tax incentives (exemption from the 16% VAT), trade and customs benefits and the streamlining of regulatory processes. There will also be an increase in infrastructure spending in these regions. Private administrators will run the zones on 40-year contracts (managing infrastructure and attracting tenants). According to Peña Nieto, at the latest, each of these zones will have an anchor tenant that will attract suppliers and other industries in the supply chain by 2018. The World Bank advised Mexico during the formulation of the special economic zones plan.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: Peña Nieto enacted a public education reform that aimed to curb the powerful teachers' union, Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación (SNTE), improve standards, centralize the process for hiring, evaluating, promoting and retaining teachers, and crack down on corruption – such as wages for non-existent "ghost teachers". Five years after its signing, the plan has barely affected standards: Mexico still ranks last in education among the 35 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries and the Secretariat of Public Education spent more money on communications (2,700% more on communications in 2017 than was budgeted) than on teacher training.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: While campaigning, Peña Nieto appointed a former general of the National Police of Colombia as his external advisor for public security, and promised to reduce the murder rate in Mexico by 50% by the end of his six-year term. Critics of Peña Nieto's security strategy, however, said that he offered "little sense" in exactly how he will reduce the violence. During the three-month campaign, Peña Nieto was not explicit on his anti-crime strategy, and many analysts wondered whether he was holding back politically sensitive details or simply did not know how he would attempt to squelch the violence and carry out the next stage in Mexico's drug war. United States officials were worried that the election of Peña Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party may mean a return to the old PRI tactics of "corruption [and] backroom deals" with the cartels in exchange for bribes and relative peace.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: In 2012, the president-elect emphasized that he did not support the involvement or presence of armed United States agents in Mexico, but considered allowing the United States to instruct Mexico's military training in counterinsurgency tactics. Beyond that, Peña Nieto promised that no other measures will be taken by the States in Mexico.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: The security policy of Peña Nieto prioritized the reduction of violence rather than attacking Mexico's drug-trafficking organizations head-on, marking a departure from the strategy of the previous six years during Felipe Calderón's administration. One of the biggest contrasts is the focus on lowering murder rates, kidnappings, and extortions, as opposed to arresting or killing the country's most-wanted drug lords and intercepting their shipments.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: On 13 December 2012, a law was approved that included far-reaching security reforms. Mexico's Interior Ministry, greatly strengthened by the bill, was made solely responsible for public security. Part of Peña Nieto's strategy consists of the creation of a national police of 40,000 members, known as a "gendarmerie". "The Economist" reported that the gendarmerie would have an initial strength of 10,000, but the Washington Office on Latin America reported that it was reduced to 5,000 members and would not be operational until July 2014. The Interior Ministry announced that 15 specialized police units were being formed to exclusively focus on major crimes that include kidnapping and extortion, along with a new task force dedicated to tracking missing persons. Peña Nieto also proposed centralizing the sub-federal police forces under one command.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: In December 2017, the was passed by legislation but was met with criticism, especially from the National Human Rights Commission, accusing it gave the President a blank check.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: During the presidential campaign, Peña Nieto promised to allow private investment in Pemex, Mexico's state-owned oil company. He also indicated interest in an economic agreement with Petrobras, Brazil's oil company. By liberalizing Pemex, investors say Peña Nieto's proposal could allow joint ventures and private investment in the oil company.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: According to the "Financial Times" in 2012, Peña Nieto's PRI government, which held just over 38% of the votes in Congress, might have difficulty gaining a majority to pass such reforms, or the two-thirds majority needed to change the Mexican constitution. Pemex was founded through the nationalization of foreign oil interests, and the Mexican constitution bans major outside investments. Changing Pemex could transform the psychology of Mexico's business sector and involve cultural and political changes that cannot be rushed. President Lázaro Cárdenas led the expropriation of foreign oil company assets in 1938 to form Pemex, which has served as a symbol of national identity.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: Eric Martin of "Bloomberg News" stated that if Peña Nieto wants to invite investment, he will have to face the challenges of union leaders and local officials who have benefited from the oil company's bonanza. Productivity in Pemex has been declined in the 2000s. Peña Nieto declared while campaigning that overhauling Pemex will be the PRI's and his "signature issue", and that he will encourage private companies to invest in exploration and development activities. Following Peña Nieto's hike in the price of gasoline as a result of his privatization of the Mexican oil industry, protests erupted nation-wide. Protestors blockaded major highways, forced the closing of foreign borders and shut down gas stations.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: Peña Nieto invited U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to visit on 31 August 2016, and appeared with him in a press conference. Peña Nieto was criticized for extending the invitation to Trump, and following the conference, journalist Jorge Ramos criticized Peña Nieto for not using the opportunity to publicly contradict Trump's campaign promise to make Mexico pay for his proposed Mexico–United States border wall, as well as what Ramos called, Trump's "attacks on Latin American immigrants, his rejection of free trade agreements and his scorn for global organizations." Despite this, Peña Nieto stated on his Twitter that he made it clear to Trump that Mexico would not pay for the wall, only to shortly after get a reply from Donald Trump saying: "Mexico will pay for the wall!"


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: Peña Nieto and Trump were to meet on 26 January 2017, until Trump wrote on his Twitter account: "If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting". This directly led Peña Nieto to cancel his visit to the U.S. president. In an interview with Aristegui Noticias, Washington periodist Dolia Estévez said she obtained access to part of a one-hour phone conversation between the two presidents the day of the scheduled meeting. She stated, "Trump humiliated Peña Nieto", and said that the conversation only lasted 20 minutes; she also explained that the speech was prolonged to an hour due to translation efforts because Peña Nieto does not understand English. While many media outlets praised Peña Nieto for cancelling the visit with Trump, "Forbes Mexico" stated that despite showing support towards Peña Nieto for cancelling such event, "that shouldn't translate in forgiveness to what happens within our country [Mexico]" adding that "a state incapable of bringing credibility and stability could not grow", and that more than Trump, the thing keeping Mexico from prosperity was the corruption within the Mexican government.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: As of July 2017, Oxford University's Computational Propaganda Research Project claimed Mexico's social media manipulation (Peñabots) to come directly from the Mexican government itself.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: A December 2017 article of "The New York Times", reported Enrique Peña Nieto spending about 2 billion dollars on publicity, during his first five years as president, the largest publicity budget ever spent by a Mexican President.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: In September 2014, 43 male college students were forcibly taken then disappeared in Guerrero. The forced mass disappearance of the students arguably became the biggest political and public security scandal Peña Nieto had faced during his administration. It led to nationwide protests, particularly in the state of Guerrero and Mexico City, and international condemnation.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: During his tenure as president, Peña Nieto has been accused of failing to protect journalists, whose deaths have been speculated to be politically triggered by officials attempting to prevent coverage of scandals. On 29 April 2017, "The New York Times" published a news report titled "In Mexico, 'It's Easy to Kill a Journalist'", which covered the high rate of deaths and disappearances of journalists in Mexico and declared Mexico had become "one of the worst countries in the world to be a journalist today."


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: In November 2014, an article was published by journalist Carmen Aristegui, indicating that a $7 million "White House" owned by Enrique Peña Nieto and his wife Angelica Rivera, in Lomas de Chapultepec was registered under the name of a company affiliated with a business group that had received government contracts to build a bullet train. The revelation about the potential conflict of interest in the acquisition of the house aggravated discontent about the government. Rivera released a video in which she detailed her income as a former soap opera actress, stating that she was selling the house and that the property was not under her name because she had not made the full payment yet. She later deleted the video. Shortly after revealing the Mexican White House incident, Carmen Aristegui was controversially fired from her radio show at MVS Communications. As noted by "The New York Times", Aristegui being fired was a perceived as a censorship towards news journalism and freedom of speech. Aristegui took it to trial and by June 2018, three years after MVS fired her, the jury determined that it was indeed unconstitutional and against the law, to fire her and indeed was an act of censorship towards the freedom of speech. Peña Nieto's successor in the presidency of Mexico, Andres Manuel López Obrador, promised Aristegui would be free to return to radio if she wanted and that there would be no more unfair censorship towards the freedom of speech.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: On 19 June 2017, "The New York Times", in conjunction with Carmen Aristegui and "Televisa" news reporter Carlos Loret de Mola, reported that the Mexican government had used the Pegasus spyware to surveil on targets such as reporters, human rights leaders and anti-corruption activists using text messages as lures. From 2011 to 2017, the Mexican government spent $80 million on spyware. Pegasus infiltrates a person's cell phone and reports on their messages, e-mails, contacts and calendars.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: In 2016, Aristegui revealed in a special report arguing that Enrique Peña Nieto had committed plagiarism on his law thesis, at least a third of it, with 197 out of 682 paragraphs being unsourced or wrongly sourced works.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: In October 2017, , the head of the Office for Election-related Crimes (FEPADE) was controversially removed from office, shortly after opening an investigation into illicit campaign money during the 2012 presidential campaign, received by Peña Nieto and would be president of Pemex, Emilio Lozoya Austin from the Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht. In December 2017, "The New York Times" published accusations that Peña Nieto's government was blocking investigations against public corruption, with a commissioner saying the government was preventing the establishment of an impartial leader in FEPADE. 22 ex-governors, all members of the PRI, were investigated for corruption with five jailed.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: In March 2018, during the campaign period for the 2018 presidential election, the Prosecutor General's Office (PGR) opened an investigation into the PAN's candidate, Ricardo Anaya, for money laundering. Santiago Nieto said that the accusations towards Anaya were minor in comparison to Odebrecht and Peña Nieto scandal, as well as the SEDESOL scandal (in which $435 million pesos were lost) or the corruption amongst governors from the PRI such as Javier Duarte and César Duarte Jáquez (both whom were later arrested). Santiago Nieto further charged that the PGR and FEPADE were not being neutral and were instead being used as tool by Peña Nieto's government to tamper with the upcoming election, by investigating Anaya, a political opponent, and not Meade, a political ally.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: In an interview with "The Wall Street Journal", Santiago Nieto would later reveal that Peña Nieto's government tried to bribe him to keep him silent, which he refused, saying "Sorry, but I can't receive any money from Peña Nieto." He subsequently received threatening calls with the words "Death follows you" and "Words of advice: stay out of Trouble".


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht, accused of corruption and bribes throughout Latin America, is currently under investigation for allegedly overriding the Peña Nieto's presidential campaign with illegal campaign funds. In exchange for campaign funds, the Peña Nieto administration allegedly granted contracts to Odebrecht through state-owned Pemex. An Odebrecht employee told a Brazilian court that he had been asked to pay a bribe to Lozoya, then head of Pemex. In March 2018, PRI legislators voted to stop the investigation into Odebrecht, which drew criticism. The investigation against Emilio Loyoza, then-head of Pemex, was also controversially ceased after a judge ordered it days later.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: While in office, Peña Nieto invoked two constitutional rights related to prosecution: "amparo" and "fuero". "Amparo" gives anyone accused of a crime the right to know which crimes they are being accused of; it is mostly used by people expecting to go to trial, and is used to allow the prosecuted person to build a defense with the help of a lawyer. "Fuero" protects political figures from prosecution committed during their time in office, in effect delaying any investigations against him until the end of their terms. Peña Nieto is the first Mexican president to invoke either right.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: In 2020, Lozoya was detained by the Mexican government. On his trial statements, he testified against Peña Nieto and Luis Videgaray (the former Minister of Finance during Peña's government). He detailed that following Peña's orders, he acted as the middle-man between Peña Nieto and Odebrecht, stating that Peña Nieto's presidential campaign benefited from illegal campaign funds provided by Odebrecht, in exchange for future favors. According to the triangulation investigations that proved Lozoya guilty, he received $10 million from Odebrecht. During his trial, Lozoya described the payments for facilitating the exchange as a middle-man. Lozoya and Videgaray are featured prominently in spots from the 2012 presidential campaign. Mexican journalist Carlos Loret de Mola described being contacted by Peña Nieto's state, and being told the former president described himself as "unaware of Lozoya's corruption". Loret de Mola also said Peña Nieto was already in contact with his successor, Andres Manuel López Obrador, to declare his version of the events. Loret de Mola said that Peña Nieto was "going to get lost within his own lies", during the trial.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: On November 12, 2020, the Attorney General's Office (FGR) officially accused Peña Nieto of being a "traitor to the country and of electoral fraud due to the Odebrecht scandal" along with Lozoya and Videgaray.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: During "United States of America v. Joaquín Guzmán Loera", Guzmán's lawyer alleged that the Sinaloa drug cartel had paid "hundreds of millions of dollars" in bribes to Peña Nieto and his predecessor, Felipe Calderón; both presidents denied the claims, with Peña Nieto's spokesman calling the claims "completely false and defamatory". Alex Cifuentes, who described himself as Guzmán's "right-hand man", later testified that Peña Nieto originally asked for $250 million before settling on $100 million.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: In 2016, a report by the Open Justice Society Initiative claimed that there are "reasonable grounds" to believe that both the Mexican army and drug cartels had committed crimes against humanity during the Mexican Drug War. The report accused both Peña Nieto and his predecessor Felipe Calderón of "almost completely failing" to ensure accountability for the actions of the Mexican army, and of denying or minimizing the scale of the atrocities. In June 2018, human rights organizations presented documents alleging slayings, tortures, rapes and forced disappearances to the International Criminal Court, and called on them to investigate.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: Peña Nieto has had occasional lapses in memory or gaffes during public events or interviews. The most-noted incident occurred during the International Book Fair of Guadalajara on 3 December 2011. On that day, during a question and answer session, he was asked by an audience member to name three books that had influenced him, being only able to correctly reference the Bible. He then "rambled, tossing out confused title names, asking for help in recalling authors and sometimes mismatching" the two others. Other incidents have involved him not being able to recall Benito Juárez's year of birth, being unable to remember the acronym of the Federal Institute of Access to Information (IFAI), changing the date of foundation of the state of Hidalgo, mistaking the capital of the State of Veracruz, mentioning the U.S. presidential candidate "La señora Hillary Trump" (Mrs. Hillary Trump), among others, of varying degree of substantiation or credibility. These have gone viral on social media, especially Twitter and a website that counts the number of days since his last gaffe.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: Televisa, the largest conglomerate broadcasting in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries, was accused of tilting their coverage towards Peña Nieto ahead of the 1 July vote. Thousands of students protested of the perceived bias throughout Mexico City and other cities.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: On 7 June 2018, The Guardian Jo Tuckman reported about dozens of computer files – forwarded to The Guardian by a source who worked with Televisa but has not been possible to confirm the authenticity of the documents – suggesting that Televisa sold favorable coverage to Peña Nieto when he was governor of the state of Mexico and developed a smear campaign against López Obrador ahead of his first bid for the presidency in 2006. Televisa and the PRI suggested that the documents were false.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: On the 24 March 2014 issue of the newsweekly "Time", Peña Nieto was on the front cover with the caption, "Saving Mexico". The front cover was met with widespread disapproval of the Mexican public, prompting various spoofs on social media, even prompting a petition to have him removed from the cover.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: In August 2016, Peña Nieto's approval ratings dropped to 23 percent (74 percent said they disapproved of his performance), which newspaper "Reforma" revealed to be the lowest approval rating for a president since they began polling in 1995. The approval decreased to 12% by 19 January 2017.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: The lack of popularity and credibility of Peña Nieto's government is perceived to have caused the PRI to suffer monumental defeat in the 2018 Mexican general election, where the party received the lowest vote percentage in their history. The party's presidential candidate, José Antonio Meade, did not win a majority in any of Mexico's 300 voting locations, while the PRI was also defeated in each of the nine gubernatorial elections. The presidency of Mexico went to Andres Manuel López Obrador, from MORENA. The PRI also lost to MORENA in Atlacomulco, the hometown of Enrique Peña Nieto.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: In 2020, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Peña Nieto's successor, asked Mexicans if they would like to see former presidents face trial for allegations of corruption. According to a survey conducted by "El Universal", 78% of Mexicans wanted the former presidents to face trial, with Peña Nieto the one they wanted to be incarcerated the most.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: The 2014 Mexican comedy and political satire movie "The Perfect Dictatorship" had a plot based on the real life perceived Televisa controversy, which consisted of Mexican citizens heavily perceiving the news media was unfairly favoring PRI candidate Enrique Peña Nieto during the 2012 presidential election in Mexico.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: In 1993, Peña Nieto married his first wife, Mónica Pretelini (1963–2007) and the couple had three children: Paulina, Alejandro and Nicole. Peña Nieto had two children outside his first marriage; a son with Maritza Díaz Hernández, and another child, with an undisclosed woman, who died as an infant. Pretelini died on 11 January 2007 as the result of an epileptic episode. Pretelini played a supporting role during the campaign of Peña Nieto's governorship. In 2008, Peña Nieto began a relationship with Televisa soap opera actress Angélica Rivera, whom he had hired to help publicize his political campaign for the State of Mexico. The couple married in November 2011. After his tenure as president ended, Rivera announced their divorce on 8 February 2019.


title: Enrique Peña Nieto

text: Peña Nieto is the cousin of Alfredo del Mazo Maza, the current governor of the State of Mexico, of which his grandfather, father, distant uncle Arturo Montiel, as well as Peña Nieto himself, have previously been governors.