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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | February 2007 
Mexico's Former Ruling Party Taps New Leader
 Associated Press
| | Beatriz Elena Paredes Rangel |
Mexico's once all-mighty Institutional Revolutionary Party, the PRI, chose a new leader Sunday in its quest to rebound from a third-place finish in 2006 national elections.
Beatriz Paredes, 53, a former Tlaxcala state governor and one of Mexico's foremost female politicians, is replacing current party president Mariano Palacios, local media reported.
Results from balloting among about 17,000 party national council representatives showed a clear victory for Paredes. Her only real rival, former PRI Senator Enrique Jackson, conceded defeat and wished Paredes luck in her new post.
But observers say it will be hard to reverse the steady decline of the party that completely dominated Mexican politics for 71 years, until it lost the presidency for the first time in 2000 elections.
Paredes, who ran unsuccessfully for Mexico City mayor in 2006, has served in Congress, as Mexican Ambassador to Cuba and in various administrative positions in federal government.
The PRI held Mexico's presidency, almost all state governorships and control of Congress for decades after its founding in 1929.
In the 2006 elections, it fell behind both the conservative National Action Party and the leftist Democratic Revolution Party.
Paredes, Jackson and other contenders promised to turn the PRI around, with an emphasis on nationalism, and political and economic pragmatism. But the party appears to be weighed down by its history of involvement in rigged elections, corruption and mismanagement of the economy.
Mexican Party Starts New Stage
Prensa Latina
Beatriz Paredes new leadership of the PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucional) will have as a main challenge the ideological direction of that political group, central-left or right, local observers state on Monday.
In her second attempt at leading the PRI, the former governor of Tlaxcala state defeated her main opposition Enrique Jackson on Sunday, together with five other aspirants.
Paredes had lost the prior six-year period election against current outgoing PRI leader Mariano Palacios Alcocer.
The former Mexican ambassador to Cuba, who had as a formula for general secretary this time Jesus Murillo Koram, finds a fractioned party due to internal struggles and presidential neglect.
Her current parliamentary situation, after a long leadership history, places the standard tri-color party amid an uncomfortable majority by governing PAN (Partido Accion Nacional) and main opposition PRD (Partido de la Revolucion Democratica).
Paredes openly talked in her campaign of the need to strengthen a modern and rejuvenated party, with larger popular base.
Paredes, 54, has had larger experience as a federal deputy and agrarian and rural affairs in previous government of her party, and was the first woman to govern a Mexican state. |
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