Mexico City (Mexico), 1934

By Fernando Antonio da Costa Vieira

Son of the influential Mexican politician Lázaro Cárdenas del Río (1895-1970), who governed the country from 1934 to 1940, Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas began his political career in the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), presenting himself as a continuator of his father’s legacy and advocating for a policy directed at social issues.

Between 1976 and 1982, he served as a senator for the state of Michoacán, where he was governor from 1980 to 1986. His break with the PRI began with the primary elections aimed at designating Miguel de la Madrid’s successor. Cárdenas received support from center-left leaders and formed the National Democratic Front (FDN). His refusal to support neoliberal measures favored the nomination of Carlos Salinas de Gortari to run in the 1988 elections for the PRI. Despite this, Cárdenas also ran in the elections and was defeated by a fraudulent scheme that included provoking a blackout to alter electoral data and favor the PRI candidate.

On May 5, 1989, Cárdenas participated in the founding of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), which became the main leftist force in Mexico. In the 1994 elections, he placed third, behind the PRI and the National Action Party (PAN), with 17% of the total votes.

However, he won the 1997 elections for the position of head of government of the Federal District (an executive role responsible for the public administration of the Federal District, the federative unit where the Mexican capital is located). This position was created with the political reforms made by Ernesto Zedillo. With 47% of the votes, Cárdenas became the first elected leader in the Federal District.

In 1999, he resigned from the position to run in the presidential elections of 2000. Again finishing in third place, the leadership of the PRD became more significant. After a series of internal debates regarding his possible candidacy for the 2006 elections, he withdrew from his fourth national run and supported Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who would ultimately be defeated. In 2000, he was elected as head of government of the Federal District. In 2014, he left the PRD, denouncing its departure from being a leftist party.