Margarita Zavala Facts for Kids

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Zavala and the second or maternal family name is Gómez del Campo.

Quick facts for kids Margarita Zavala


Member of the Chamber of Deputies for Mexico City's 10th District
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 September 2021
In office 29 August 2003 – 1 April 2006
First Lady of Mexico
In role 1 December 2006 – 30 November 2012
President	Felipe Calderón
Preceded by	Marta Sahagún
Succeeded by	Angélica Rivera
Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District
In office 15 September 1994 – 14 September 1997

Personal details
Born	Margarita Ester Zavala Gómez del Campo (1967-07-25) 25 July 1967 (age 57) Mexico City, Mexico
Political party	National Action Party
Spouse	Felipe Calderón (m. 1993)
Children	3
Alma mater	Free School of Law (LLB)

Margarita Ester Zavala Gómez del Campo (born on 25 July 1967) is a Mexican lawyer and politician. She currently serves as a member of the Chamber of Deputies for Mexico City's 10th District. She has held this position since 2021.

Margarita Zavala is married to Felipe Calderón, who was the President of Mexico from 2006 to 2012. During his time in office, she served as the First Lady of Mexico. She also ran as an independent candidate for president in 2018.

Early Life and Education
Political Career
Political Views
Personal Life
Honours
See also

Early Life and Education

Margarita Zavala was born in Mexico City on 25 July 1967. She is one of seven children. Her parents, Diego Zavala Pérez and Mercedes Gómez del Campo, were both lawyers. Her father worked as a judge.

Margarita attended the Instituto Asunción, a school run by nuns. At age 17, she became a youth leader for the National Action Party (PAN). She first met Felipe Calderón in 1984, when they were both active in the PAN party.

She studied law at the Escuela Libre de Derecho, a well-known law school. She graduated with excellent grades. Her final paper was about the National Human Rights Commission.

Political Career

After finishing her studies, Margarita Zavala worked for private law firms. She also taught law at the Universidad Iberoamericana and at her old high school, Instituto Asunción. She often writes opinion pieces for El Universal, a major newspaper.

Leadership in the National Action Party

Margarita Zavala has been an important member of the National Action Party (PAN) since 1991. From 1993 to 1994, she was the PAN's Legal Director. In 1995, she represented Mexico at the Fourth World Conference on Women.

From 1999 to 2003, she led the party's office for promoting women in politics. During her time in this role, the number of women from the PAN serving in the federal government greatly increased.

She also helped Vicente Fox when he became president, advising on issues related to women. She was a founding member of the National Institute for Women in 2001. This government office works to achieve equality for women and end discrimination.

Serving in the Chamber of Deputies

In 2003, Margarita Zavala was elected to the Chamber of Deputies. This is part of the Mexican Congress. She was chosen through a system called proportional representation.

During her time as a Deputy, she worked on several important committees. These included committees on Labor and Social Security, Justice and Human Rights, and National Defense. She also served on a committee for law studies. In April 2006, she left her position to help with her husband's campaign for president.

Role as First Lady of Mexico

First Lady Zavala with First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama in the Yellow Oval Room, February 2010.

As the wife of President Felipe Calderón (2006-2012), Margarita Zavala was known as the "First Lady." This role is not officially defined by law, but it is an important public position. She is the only First Lady who had also served in Congress.

She led the civic advisory board for Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF). DIF is a government agency that supports child and family development across Mexico.

Margarita Zavala also promoted organ donation in Mexico. In 2009, she decided to become an organ and tissue donor herself. She also started a program called Nueva Vida (New Life) to help people with addictions.

After the Presidency

Margarita Zavala during the LIX Legislature.

After her husband's presidency ended, many people wondered about Margarita Zavala's future in politics. Some thought she might lead the National Action Party or even run for president again in 2018.

In September 2014, she announced her interest in becoming a candidate for the Chamber of Deputies once more. She believed Mexico needed a strong Congress. Although she had support from some party members, she was not placed high enough on the party's list to easily win a seat.

A day later, she said she would try to become the president of the PAN party, saying the party needed to change. She also kept open the possibility of running for president in 2018. She campaigned for various PAN candidates in local and state elections between 2013 and 2017.

2018 Presidential Campaign

Campaign logo for Margarita Zavala's independent presidential campaign.

On 14 June 2015, Margarita Zavala shared a video announcing her desire to run for president in the 2018 election.

When asked about the books that influenced her, she mentioned the Bible, The Price of My Soul by Bernadette Devlin, and Caudillos culturales en la Revolución Mexicana by Enrique Krauze.

She was often a leading candidate in polls among those seeking the PAN's presidential nomination. In December 2016, she publicly shared her financial records, as part of a transparency initiative. On May 16, 2018, Margarita Zavala decided to end her presidential campaign.

Political Views

Margarita Zavala supported changes to the constitution that would allow politicians to be re-elected. Since 2014, members of the Mexican Congress can seek re-election for a certain number of terms. However, the president can still only serve one term.

Regarding same-sex marriage, the Supreme Court has made it clear that laws defining marriage only as between a man and a woman are unconstitutional. Margarita Zavala has stated that the Court's decisions on this matter are clear.

Personal Life

Margarita Zavala married Felipe Calderón in January 1993, after six years of dating. They have three children: María (born 1997), Luis Felipe (born 1999), and Juan Pablo (born 2003).

She is a Roman Catholic.

Margarita Zavala has had eye surgeries. In June 2012, she had surgery on her right eye to prevent a problem called retinal detachment. She had emergency surgery for a retinal detachment again in October 2016.