Mexico’s Calderon fires unpopular interior minister

MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) – Mexican President Felipe  Calderon yesterday fired his interior minister, who angered  political allies and upset Mexicans for downplaying the deaths  of tens of thousands of people in the nation’s drug war.

Calderon said he will replace Fernando Gomez Mont with Jose  Francisco Blake, Calderon’s fourth interior minister since he  took office in December 2006.

Blake until yesterday was a senior official in the  government of Baja California state, which borders California.

The switch of the No. 2 in the government is not expected  to change the government’s military-backed drug war but  appeared aimed at winning support for labor and security  reforms.

Gomez Mont’s exit followed a falling out with Calderon over  the ruling conservative National Action Party’s controversial  alliances with left-wing parties in state and gubernatorial  elections on July 4.