Demetrio Sodi
Encyclopedia
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
) is a Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
politician who has served in the upper
Senate of Mexico
The Senate of the Republic, constitutionally Chamber of Senators of the Honorable Congress of the Union After a series of reforms during the 1990s, it is now made up of 128 senators:...
and lower
Chamber of Deputies of Mexico
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Congress of the Union, Mexico's bicameral legislature. The structure and responsibilities of both chambers of Congress are defined in Articles 50 to 70 of the current constitution.-Composition:The Chamber of Deputies is composed of one federal...
house of Congress
Congress of Mexico
The Congress of the Union is the legislative branch of the Mexican government...
. In 2006 he unsuccessfully ran as the National Action Party
National Action Party (Mexico)
The National Action Party , is one of the three main political parties in Mexico. The party's political platform is generally considered Centre-Right in the Mexican political spectrum. Since 2000, the President of Mexico has been a member of this party; both houses have PAN pluralities, but the...
(PAN), candidate for the Head of Government of the Federal District
Head of Government of the Federal District
The Head of Government wields executive power in the Mexican Federal District.The Head of Government serves a six-year term, running concurrently with that of the President of the Republic....
.
He is the uncle of the popular actress and singer Thalía
Thalía
Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda , known simply by the mononym Thalía , is a Mexican singer and actress. She has sold over 40 million albums worldwide...
.
Education
Sodi studied business administration at the Universidad IberoamericanaUniversidad Iberoamericana
The Ibero-American University is a Mexican private institution of higher education sponsored by the Society of Jesus...
and pursued graduate studies at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Political and professional career
Demetrio Sodi has been a member of the three main political parties in Mexico. From 1962 to 1975 he worked for Grupo Cifra. In 1977 he began to work in the public serviceCivil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
. In 1988 he was elected an Institutional Revolutionary Party
Institutional Revolutionary Party
The Institutional Revolutionary Party is a Mexican political party that held power in the country—under a succession of names—for more than 70 years. The PRI is a member of the Socialist International, as is the rival Party of the Democratic Revolution , making Mexico one of the few...
(PRI) deputy
Chamber of Deputies of Mexico
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Congress of the Union, Mexico's bicameral legislature. The structure and responsibilities of both chambers of Congress are defined in Articles 50 to 70 of the current constitution.-Composition:The Chamber of Deputies is composed of one federal...
to serve during the LIV Legislature. In April 1994 he quit the PRI and in October 1997 he joined the Party of the Democratic Revolution
Party of the Democratic Revolution
The Party of the Democratic Revolution is a democratic socialist party in Mexico and one of 2 Mexican affiliates of the Socialist International...
(PRD). He served in the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District and in 1997 he was elected to serve in the federal Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Mexico
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Congress of the Union, Mexico's bicameral legislature. The structure and responsibilities of both chambers of Congress are defined in Articles 50 to 70 of the current constitution.-Composition:The Chamber of Deputies is composed of one federal...
; then, in 2000 he was elected to the Senate
Senate of Mexico
The Senate of the Republic, constitutionally Chamber of Senators of the Honorable Congress of the Union After a series of reforms during the 1990s, it is now made up of 128 senators:...
and served during the LVIII Legislature
LVIII Legislature of the Mexican Congress
The LVIII Legislature of the Congress of Mexico met from September 1, 2000, to August 31, 2003. All members of the LVIII Legislature were elected in the elections of July 2000....
and the LIX Legislature
LIX Legislature of the Mexican Congress
The LIX Legislature of the Congress of Mexico met from September 2003 to August 2006. All members of the lower house of the Congress were elected in the elections of July 2003 while members of the upper house were elected in the elections of July 2000.-Chamber of Deputies:-Senate of...
. He is a good example of a "Changer"; according with the political winds, he changes of ideology.
At the national level, he coordinated social support programs in Conasupo and was managing director of Diconsa stores, where he increased the number of stores between 1978 and 1982 from 3,200 to 16,000.
He was General Coordinator of Supplies and Food Distribution in the Federal District Department from 1982 to 1987.
In the private sector his professional career was developed in Aurrerá
Aurrerá
Aurrerá is a defunct grocery chain in Mexico. It started operations in 1958 in Mexico City, and folded in 2001 after being acquired by Wal-Mart....
supermarket chain (since bought out by Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
).
In 1993 Sodi conceived, planned and organized members of all political parties and citizen organizations that participated and called up the first plebiscite to achieve more democracy in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
by pressuring the federal government for establishing popular and democratic election
Elections in Mexico
Elections in Mexico determine who, on the national level, takes the position of the head of state – the president – as well as the legislature.The President of Mexico is elected for a six-year term by the people...
of the Head of Government
Head of Government of the Federal District
The Head of Government wields executive power in the Mexican Federal District.The Head of Government serves a six-year term, running concurrently with that of the President of the Republic....
.
In October 2004 Sodi called for, along with Henry Davis, the creation of the Centro de Estudios para la Zona Metropolitana (Metropolitan Area
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
research center), a civil association
Voluntary association
A voluntary association or union is a group of individuals who enter into an agreement as volunteers to form a body to accomplish a purpose.Strictly speaking, in many jurisdictions no formalities are necessary to start an association...
known as Metrópoli 2025 that currently brings together more than 200 scholars, researchers, businesspeople and politicians worried about the future of the Valley of Mexico
Valley of Mexico
The Valley of Mexico is a highlands plateau in central Mexico roughly coterminous with the present-day Distrito Federal and the eastern half of the State of Mexico. Surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, the Valley of Mexico was a centre for several pre-Columbian civilizations, including...
.
In 2005 he resigned from the PRD and began seeking support with other parties for his candidacy for the 2006 election
2006 Mexican Federal District election
Elections in the Mexican Federal District were held on Sunday, 2 July 2006. Voters went the polls to elect, on the local level:*A new Head of Government of the Federal District, to serve a six-year term, replacing current incumbent Alejandro Encinas....
to the Head of Government of the Federal District
Head of Government of the Federal District
The Head of Government wields executive power in the Mexican Federal District.The Head of Government serves a six-year term, running concurrently with that of the President of the Republic....
; he obtained the PAN candidacy.
Sodi was accused by his opponents of early campaigning: the official campaign had not officially started when he was running ads on radio and television and touring Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
to learn about the demands and needs of the inhabitants, especially the poorest, as senator
Senate of Mexico
The Senate of the Republic, constitutionally Chamber of Senators of the Honorable Congress of the Union After a series of reforms during the 1990s, it is now made up of 128 senators:...
.
On 2009 Sodi won the elections for Miguel Hidalgo Delegation
Miguel Hidalgo, D.F.
Miguel Hidalgo is one of the 16 delegaciones into which Mexico's Federal District is divided. The borough includes some of the most affluent parts of Mexico City, such as Lomas de Chapultepec and Polanco. Its population at the 2010 census was 372,889 inhabitants, and it lies at an elevation of...
in Mexico City, over his opponents Ana Guevara
Ana Guevara
Ana Gabriela Guevara Espinoza is a now-retired Mexican track and field athlete, specialized in the 400 meters. Her career began in 1996 carrying out diverse tours, participating in her first international competences...
(PRD), and Martín Olavarrieta (PRI).
External links
- Demetrio Sodi, Candidato al gobierno de la Ciudad de México, Distrito Federal, official website
- Demetrio Sodi de la Tijera::Biografías::esmas, biography
- Sodi blog, blog
- Metrópoli 2025, official website of the civil association
- PAN-DF, official website of the National Action Party in the Federal District.
- El Universal Online, daily news from El UniversalEl Universal (Mexico City)El Universal is a major Mexican newspaper.El Universal was founded by Félix Palavicini and Emilio Rabasa in October 1916, in the city of Santiago de Queretaro to cover the end of the Mexican Revolution and the creation of the new Mexican Constitution...
about Demetrio Sodi