Salinas’ Last Major Speech Notes Upheaval in Mexico : Politics: Outgoing president reflects upon violence, economic reforms in final ‘state of the nation’ address.

President Carlos Salinas de Gortari delivered his final “state of the nation” speech Tuesday, summarizing six years of dramatic economic reforms that have ended in a year of political upheaval.

In his address to the Congress that was elected Aug. 21, Salinas reflected on the violence of 1994--the assassinations of two close allies, an Indian uprising and a rash of kidnapings-for-profit--and the profound effect it has had on this country.

He also spoke of his administration’s accomplishments, which have included balancing the federal budget, bringing triple-digit inflation down to 7% this year and making Mexico a member of the world’s foremost economic organizations, notably the North American Free Trade Agreement.

“We have . . . been confronted this year with unprecedented events that caused us moments of confusion, concern and grief,” he said. “Our republican institutions suffered grave attacks, and Mexicans’ deepest beliefs were put to the test. Nevertheless, because of the reforms that have been carried out and the calm response of the population, the commitment to change was affirmed, and the country’s institutional life emerged stronger than before.”

Tuesday’s address was Salinas’ last major speech before he turns over authority Dec. 1 to Ernesto Zedillo, his former budget minister who was elected president in the August vote.

A survey released Tuesday by the independent pollster MORI de Mexico shows that Salinas remains tremendously popular, with a 66% approval rating, even though three-fourths of those questioned believe that the condition of the country is grave. The survey was based on 442 telephone interviews and has a margin of error of 4.4%.

People lining the streets Tuesday showered Salinas with confetti in red, white and green--the colors of the Mexican flag--on his route from the Legislative Palace, where he spoke, to his offices in the National Palace a dozen blocks away. He rode in an open convertible, defying increased concerns about security after two political assassinations this year.

Throughout the three-hour speech, members of Salinas’ Institutional Revolutionary Party--the congressional majority--interrupted him with cheers, while the opposition parties broke in with jeers.

Applause was loudest when Salinas praised the Mexican army, mentioned increases in government spending on education and criticized California’s treatment of Mexican immigrants.

Supporters also applauded to drown out opposition chants of “Who was it?” when Salinas mentioned the murders of his party’s presidential candidate in March and a high-ranking party official in September--a reference to public skepticism about the investigations of those slayings.

The triggerman in the March 23 assassination of presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio was sentenced Monday to 42 years in prison, but polls show that many Mexicans believe that there was a mastermind who is still free.

Salinas also defended his administration’s record in Chiapas, the impoverished southern state where armed Indians calling themselves the Zapatista National Liberation Army took control of four county seats Jan. 1.

While acknowledging the state’s age-old inequities, Salinas noted that it is the state that has received the most federal aid throughout his administration.

“All of these major efforts gave hope to the state, but they were not enough,” he said. “On one hand, expectations for change grew. And on the other, deficiencies, inflexibility and division persisted.”

Opponents shouted, “Zapata lives, the struggle continues,” referring to the 1910 revolutionary leader from whom the guerrillas took their name. The rebels have suspended peace talks, although a fragile truce continues.

Most of the interruptions appeared to come from the center-left Democratic Revolutionary Party, which polled third in the last federal election.