Demetrio Sodi

Demetrio Javier Sodi de la Tijera (born September 25, 1944 in Mexico City) is a Mexican politician who has served in the upper and lower house of Congress. In 2006 he unsuccessfully ran as the National Action Party (PAN), candidate for the Head of Government of the Federal District. He is the uncle of the popular actress and singer Thalía.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Sodi and the second or maternal family name is De la Tijera.
Demetrio Sodi
Member of the Senate
for the Federal District
In office
1 September 2000 – 31 August 2006
Preceded byJorge Galván Moreno
Succeeded byFederico Döring Casar
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
for the Federal District′s 26th district
In office
1 September 1997 – 31 August 2000
Preceded byMarco Antonio Michel Díaz
Succeeded byJosé Tomás Lozano Pardinas
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
for the Federal District′s 25th district
In office
1 September 1988 – 31 October 1991
Preceded bySantiago Oñate Laborde
Succeeded byAlberto Nava Salgado
Personal details
Born (1944-09-25) 25 September 1944
Mexico City, Mexico

Education

Sodi studied business administration at the Universidad Iberoamericana and pursued graduate studies at Harvard University.

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 service. In 1988 he was elected an Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) deputy 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 (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; then, in 2000 he was elected to the Senate and served during the LVIII Legislature and the LIX Legislature.

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 supermarket chain (since bought out by Wal-Mart).

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 by pressuring the federal government for establishing popular and democratic election of the Head of Government.

In October 2004 Sodi called for, along with Henry Davis, the creation of the Centro de Estudios para la Zona Metropolitana (Metropolitan Area research center), a civil 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.

In 2005 he resigned from the PRD and began seeking support with other parties for his candidacy for the 2006 election to the Head of Government of the Federal District; 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 to learn about the demands and needs of the inhabitants, especially the poorest, as senator.

On 2009 Sodi won the elections for Miguel Hidalgo Delegation in Mexico City, over his opponents Ana Guevara (PRD), and Martín Olavarrieta (PRI).

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