FACTBOX-Mexico left-wing presidential hopeful's plans

MEXICO CITY Jan 16 (Reuters) - Leftist presidential hopeful Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who narrowly lost in 2006, has pledged to break up Mexico's "monopolies" and press foreign mining firms for more tax and better wages if he wins on July 1.

Obrador came within a whisker of beating President Felipe Calderon in 2006, but this time around he is trailing front-runner Enrique Pena Nieto of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party by more than 20 points according to several recent polls. However, the gap is closing. [ID:nN1E80F03X]

Here are some of the Lopez Obrador's policy pledges:

* Withdraw army troops from the streets over a period of six months. More than 45,000 people have died from drug-related violence since Calderon sent the army out to battle smuggling gangs in 2006. Human rights group have accused the military of torturing, kidnapping and murdering civilians.

* Reach 6 percent annual economic growth during his presidency and pay for school or jobs for 7 million youths. Mexico's economy has seen sluggish growth during the last decade, growing only at about a third of the rate needed to create enough jobs for the young entering the workforce.

* Promote monetary policies that generate economic growth. Mexico has enjoyed a sustained period of low inflation but Lopez Obrador says the central bank should also have a mandate to boost growth and create more jobs.

* Combat "monopolies" and high prices for goods and services. Key sectors of the Mexican economy such as telecommunications and construction materials are dominated by a few families such as that of Carlos Slim, the world's richest man.

* Revitalize national petroleum company Pemex by increasing the state's role. Production by Pemex has slumped in recent years. Mexico must import gasoline and petrochemical products at a high price because it does not have enough refineries. Lopez Obrador plans to build five big refineries in three years so Mexico can stop exporting crude and refine its own oil.

* Increase investment in education and give low-income students scholarships to stay in school. Mexico's education system fares poorly in international rankings and a powerful teachers union has been resistant to change. Lopez Obrador said public education must be taken out of the hands of Elba Esther Gordillo, powerful boss of the teachers' union.

* Halve the salaries of the president and high-level officials. Cabinet members in Mexico make about 144,000 pesos ($10,400) a month while the minimum wage in the country is lower than $100 per month, less than 1 percent of a minister's pay.

* Renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, especially in areas related to agriculture. Mexico's small farmers have suffered from competition with better-equipped agribusiness in the United States.

* Combat corruption through a special investigative commission. Mexico currently ranks at 100, tied with 11 other countries, out of 183 countries in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, down about 30 places in the global ranking since 2006.

* Create state-owned radio and TV networks to challenge the domination of Televisa (TLVACPO.MX) and TV Azteca in Mexico's television market. Lopez Obrador says they manipulate information to benefit the ruling elite.

* Shift the tax burden from individuals to corporations. Mexico has the lowest tax take as a proportion of gross domestic product in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development as well as among its Latin American peers.

* Ensure the salaries of Mexican workers at foreign mining firms is closer to what those companies pay employees at home. Make foreign mining firms pay the same taxes in Mexico that they pay at home.

* Seek to step up Mexican cooperation with the United States on social development and economic projects and move away from a clear focus on security issues. (Reporting by Mexico City newsroom; Editing by Kieran Murray)