Marta Sahagún
Encyclopedia
Marta Sahagún de Fox became the First Lady of Mexico
on July 2, 2001, when she married President
Vicente Fox Quesada
.
Sahagún was born in Zamora
, Michoacán
, on April 10, 1953, and for a few years worked as an English
instructor at the Universidad Lasallista Benavente. Her first marriage was to Manuel Bribiesca Godoy in 1971 and they had three sons: Manuel, Jorge and Fernando. Bribiesca and Sahagún separated in 1998 and divorced in 2000; their Roman Catholic
marriage was declared null and void
by the Church in 2005.
(PAN). After losing her bid to become the mayor of Celaya
, Guanajuato, she met Vicente Fox. In 1995, Sahagún became his spokesperson, first at the state government, then during his presidential campaign and finally during his first year in the presidency.
On July 2, 2001, she and Fox surprised the media by marrying in a private early-morning ceremony. Spanish
Prime Minister
José María Aznar
, who was on a state visit to the country, unknowingly announced the wedding to the media by congratulating the couple (the state visit's agenda included a reference to “President Fox and his wife”). Rumours of bickering among Marta and Fox’s children (specifically his grown daughters) from his first marriage (he divorced years before being president) arose, and books about Marta and her role in her husband’s Presidency began to appear.
On September 24, 2001, Sahagún founded a national philanthropic organization named Vamos México (“Let’s go, Mexico!”). This was quickly criticized as a way for self-promotion and funding towards the presidency in 2006. Its first fund drive was on a historic building, Chapultepec Palace, in a dinner attended by most financial and business leaders with a performance by Elton John
. Vamos Mexico’s stated purpose is to concentrate funding and channel it into the diverse private philanthropy
foundations already in existence. The idea of the President’s wife managing the funds of Mexico’s philanthropic organizations was seen as undermining to the current efforts, specially since Marta never showed a previous interest in philanthropy. In fact, after marrying Fox she refused to become head of the Desarrollo Integral de la Familia
(DIF), a government national institute for children and family welfare, a post traditionally offered to (and accepted by) the President’s wife.
On January 31, 2004, the Financial Times
published an extended report questioning management practices and the lack of transparency in the organization, accusing it of spending less than 35% of its income on charity. The accusations were strongly denied by Sahagún in an open letter citing frequent audits, though some disparities in accounting arose, which were blamed on human error.
In 2003, Argentine
journalist
Olga Wornat wrote the book La Jefa (Chiefwoman) about Marta Sahagún and her rise to power. In 2003, Wornat wrote a second book about Sahagún titled Crónicas Malditas ("Cursed Chronicles") describing, among other topics, how Sahagún’s sons from her first marriage have benefited with contracts through her political influence. An excerpt from the book was published on the political magazine Proceso
and Sahagún filed a lawsuit against Wornat, her publisher Random House Mondadori and Proceso’s publisher for alleged personal damages. The filing of the lawsuit resulted in house arrest of Wornat for a month, which was protested by Reporters Without Borders as unprecedented in Mexican legal history.
In February 2005, her religious (Roman Catholic) marriage with Manuel Bribiesca was declared null and void
by the Church. In practical terms a divorce, this means the Church found after analyzing her case (she alleged domestic violence
by her husband) that a valid, sacramental, Church-recognized marriage never occurred, so she can have a religious wedding (for the first time, not again). Fox’s religious marriage still stands, however.
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First Lady of Mexico
First Lady of Mexico is the unofficial title of the wife of the President of Mexico.The post is highly ceremonial and in fact once caused severe controversy when it was thought that the First Lady took too much involvement in their husband's post....
on July 2, 2001, when she married President
President of Mexico
The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
Vicente Fox Quesada
Vicente Fox
Vicente Fox Quesada is a Mexican former politician who served as President of Mexico from 1 December 2000 to 30 November 2006 and currently serves as co-President of the Centrist Democrat International, an international organization of Christian democratic political parties.Fox was elected...
.
Sahagún was born in Zamora
Zamora, Michoacán
Zamora de Hidalgo, is a city in the Mexican state of Michoacán. The 2010 census population was 141,627. making it the third largest city in the state. The city is the municipal seat of Zamora Municipality, which has an area of 330.97 km² and includes many other smaller communities, the largest of...
, Michoacán
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
, on April 10, 1953, and for a few years worked as an English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
instructor at the Universidad Lasallista Benavente. Her first marriage was to Manuel Bribiesca Godoy in 1971 and they had three sons: Manuel, Jorge and Fernando. Bribiesca and Sahagún separated in 1998 and divorced in 2000; their Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
marriage was declared null and void
Annulment
Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almost as if it had never taken place...
by the Church in 2005.
Politics
Since 1988, she has been an active member of the National Action PartyNational 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). After losing her bid to become the mayor of Celaya
Celaya
Celaya is a city and its surrounding municipality in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, located in the southeast quadrant of the state. It is the third most populous city in the state, with a 2005 census population of 310,413. The municipality for which the city serves as municipal seat, had a...
, Guanajuato, she met Vicente Fox. In 1995, Sahagún became his spokesperson, first at the state government, then during his presidential campaign and finally during his first year in the presidency.
First Lady
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
José María Aznar
José María Aznar
José María Alfredo Aznar López served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004. He is on the board of directors of News Corporation.-Early life:...
, who was on a state visit to the country, unknowingly announced the wedding to the media by congratulating the couple (the state visit's agenda included a reference to “President Fox and his wife”). Rumours of bickering among Marta and Fox’s children (specifically his grown daughters) from his first marriage (he divorced years before being president) arose, and books about Marta and her role in her husband’s Presidency began to appear.
On September 24, 2001, Sahagún founded a national philanthropic organization named Vamos México (“Let’s go, Mexico!”). This was quickly criticized as a way for self-promotion and funding towards the presidency in 2006. Its first fund drive was on a historic building, Chapultepec Palace, in a dinner attended by most financial and business leaders with a performance by Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
. Vamos Mexico’s stated purpose is to concentrate funding and channel it into the diverse private philanthropy
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
foundations already in existence. The idea of the President’s wife managing the funds of Mexico’s philanthropic organizations was seen as undermining to the current efforts, specially since Marta never showed a previous interest in philanthropy. In fact, after marrying Fox she refused to become head of the Desarrollo Integral de la Familia
Desarrollo Integral de la Familia
The National System for Integral Family Development is a Mexican public institution of social assistance that focuses on strengthening and developing the welfare of the Mexican families...
(DIF), a government national institute for children and family welfare, a post traditionally offered to (and accepted by) the President’s wife.
On January 31, 2004, the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
published an extended report questioning management practices and the lack of transparency in the organization, accusing it of spending less than 35% of its income on charity. The accusations were strongly denied by Sahagún in an open letter citing frequent audits, though some disparities in accounting arose, which were blamed on human error.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
Olga Wornat wrote the book La Jefa (Chiefwoman) about Marta Sahagún and her rise to power. In 2003, Wornat wrote a second book about Sahagún titled Crónicas Malditas ("Cursed Chronicles") describing, among other topics, how Sahagún’s sons from her first marriage have benefited with contracts through her political influence. An excerpt from the book was published on the political magazine Proceso
Proceso (magazine)
Proceso is a Mexican magazine published in Mexico City. It was founded on November 6, 1976 by journalist Julio Scherer García, its current president...
and Sahagún filed a lawsuit against Wornat, her publisher Random House Mondadori and Proceso’s publisher for alleged personal damages. The filing of the lawsuit resulted in house arrest of Wornat for a month, which was protested by Reporters Without Borders as unprecedented in Mexican legal history.
Presidential plans
During the first months of 2004, Sahagún reiterated that Mexico was “ready to have a woman as president”, refusing to say whether she was that woman or not. However, a new scandal made the headlines: it was discovered that the National Lottery, a government organization (gambling is mostly banned in Mexico), funded Transforma Mexico (Transform Mexico), a fund quickly linked to Sahagún’s Vamos Mexico. This not only created controversy and a congressional probe, but caused changes in the government: the private secretary of Vicente Fox publicly quit, stating in an open letter that he didn’t agree with the way Fox supported the political ambitions of his wife. A few days later Fox announced a new general director for the National Lottery. By the middle of July the pressure was so great that President Fox assured the press both he and Marta would go home after ending his term, and announced his wife would give a press conference about that. That press conference was delayed once, but finally, after one week, Marta Sahagún announced she would not run for the presidential office in 2006, and would go home with Vicente Fox.In February 2005, her religious (Roman Catholic) marriage with Manuel Bribiesca was declared null and void
Annulment
Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almost as if it had never taken place...
by the Church. In practical terms a divorce, this means the Church found after analyzing her case (she alleged domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
by her husband) that a valid, sacramental, Church-recognized marriage never occurred, so she can have a religious wedding (for the first time, not again). Fox’s religious marriage still stands, however.
See also
- Vicente FoxVicente FoxVicente Fox Quesada is a Mexican former politician who served as President of Mexico from 1 December 2000 to 30 November 2006 and currently serves as co-President of the Centrist Democrat International, an international organization of Christian democratic political parties.Fox was elected...
- Politics of MexicoPolitics of MexicoThe politics of Mexico take place in a framework of a federal presidential representative democratic republic whose government is based on a congressional system, whereby the president of Mexico is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system...
- National Action PartyNational 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...
External links
- Mexico's first lady eyes following Fox to presidency
- El Balero: Marta Sahagún de Fox Univisión: Primera dama mexicana quiere presidencia
- Presidencia de la República: Marta de Fox (official bio) Vamos Mexico response to the Financial Times
- Sahagún sues journalist and Mexican magazine
- Reporters Without Borders articles about the Sahagún family relations with Olga Wornat
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