Cuauhtemoc Cardenas, the Mexican politician whose 1988 presidential challenge helped open space for a stronger opposition, died at 92, the government said Wednesday, after decades of Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) rule.
On election night, officials said the vote-counting system had failed during a close contest between Cardenas and PRI candidate Carlos Salinas. Salinas was declared the winner once the system was restored, Reuters reported. The outlet said Cardenas and many analysts believed the PRI had manipulated the result. The contest led to political reform that strengthened the opposition.
President Claudia Sheinbaum called Cardenas’ role in modern Mexican history “fundamental.” In a social media post, she said his campaign gave voice to widespread calls for change through peaceful means.
After breaking with the PRI in 1987, Cardenas helped establish the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). He finished third in presidential races in 1994 and 2000, and was elected Mexico City mayor in 1997, Reuters reported.
The PRD later lost influence after Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who became president in 2018, left to form Morena. The party became the main political force on Mexico’s left, Reuters reported.
Reuters also reported that Cardenas favored a larger government role in the economy, arguing that market policies would not resolve Mexico’s economic problems.
