December 4, 1998

Francisco Vega De La Madrid Sworn In As Mayor Of Tijuana



Francisco Vega, newly elected mayor of Tijuana, Mexico, shows off the desk and chair of his new office on his first day at work, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 1998. Behind him is outgoing Mayor Jose Guadalupe Osuna Millan. Both are from the conservative opposition National Action Party.

TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) - The new mayor of Tijuana, Francisco Vega de la Madrid, was one of five new mayors to take office across Baja California.

Vega, 43, a businessman and former state finance secretary, was sworn in Tuesday. He bested two other major candidates in June elections and became the fourth consecutive Tijuana mayor belonging to the pro-business National Action Party, or PAN.

It's the first elective post for Vega. He succeeds Jose Guadalupe Osuna Millan for a three-year term in Tijuana - the largest Mexican city along the U.S. border.

Mayors in Mexico are limited by law to a single term in office.

Vega is one of three PAN mayors to take office in the five Baja California municipalities. Silvano Abarca Macklis became the first mayor elected in Rosarito Beach, which gained independent cityhood in 1995. Victor Hermosillo Celada, took over in Mexicali, the state capital.

Daniel Quintero Pea, a member of Mexico's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, is new mayor of Ensenada. Constantino Leon Gutierrez, who also belongs to the PRI, assumes power in Tecate.

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