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El Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) - Explainer

Alexandra Helfgott

罢丑别听Partido Revolucionario Institucional聽(Institutional Revolutionary Party), more commonly referred to as the聽PRI, is Mexico鈥檚 oldest and arguably, most well-known political party. Until the start of the 21st century, the聽PRI was the sole hegemonic party in Mexico, governing without interruption from 1929 until 2000.聽

Political scientists refer to the聽PRI as a 鈥渃atch-all party,鈥 a term used to describe pragmatic political parties that mutate their stances on multiple issues over time and may even have contradictory positions in different regions of the country. 罢丑别听PRI is usually midpoint-oriented (center in the economic left-right spectrum and neither conservative nor liberal in social terms), a strategy to attract voters. This strategic pragmatism enabled the聽PRI to develop a wide-encompassing political structure that incorporated many different groups, thus facilitating the party鈥檚 dominance in Mexican politics since its inception.聽

Originally founded by President Plutarco Elias Calles in 1929 under the name聽Partido Nacional Revolucionario (National Revolutionary Party), the party evolved out of the Sonoran generals鈥 winning coalition from the Mexican Revolution (1910 鈥 1920).聽 During President Cardenas鈥 term in the 1930s, the party was renamed the聽Partido de la Revoluci贸n Mexicana (Mexican Revolutionary Party). By the 1940s, it finally adopted its current name under President Miguel Alem谩n.聽

罢丑别听笔搁滨鈥檚 71 years of uninterrupted rule came to an end when the PAN won the presidency, first in 2000 with the victory of Vicente Fox and then again in 2006 with the election of Felipe Calder贸n. 罢丑别听PRI did continue to hold a majority of governorships during those years, however. In 2012, the聽PRI returned to power with the election of Enrique Pe帽a Nieto as president.聽

In its first two years in office, the Pe帽a Nieto administration proved successful at furthering the party鈥檚 agenda through Congress with the 鈥Pact for Mexico鈥 agreement between the聽PRI, the聽PAN, and the then-strongest left party, the聽PRD. Thirteen constitutional reforms were approved in key sectors and propelled the new government to a promising start. However, challenges regarding public security, allegations of human rights violations (most notably the disappearance of 43 students in Ayotzinapa in 2014), and various corruption scandals undermined voters鈥 confidence leading into the 2018 election. This election cycle resulted in the聽PRI's greatest defeat in history. The party lost not only the presidency but also two governorships (out of nine governorships up for election) and witnessed disappointing results in Congress and state legislature elections.聽

Currently, the聽PRI 丑辞濒诲蝉听 of the seats in the Senate (6 senators in total),聽of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies (49 positions in total), and two out of 32 governorships (Coahuila and Durango).

About the Author

Alexandra Helfgott

Alexandra Helfgott

Office of VP of Strategy and New Initiatives
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Mexico Institute

The Mexico Institute seeks to improve understanding, communication, and cooperation between Mexico and the United States by promoting original research, encouraging public discussion, and proposing policy options for enhancing the bilateral relationship. A binational Advisory Board, chaired by Luis T茅llez and Earl Anthony Wayne, oversees the work of the Mexico Institute.聽  Read more