Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Mexico: Secret deal led to Fox’s presidency, says PRI politico

Vicente Fox’s victory in 2000 and the end of the Institutional Revolutionary Party’s (PRI, in Spanish) presidential hegemony were caused by a secret pact, according to a soon-to-be-released book.

In “La Traicion” (“The Betrayal”), losing 2006 PRI presidential candidate Roberto Madrazo blames then-president
Ernesto Zedillo (image) of spearheading the plan in 1994 which called for clandestinely alternating the presidency between the PRI and Fox’s National Action Party (PAN, in Spanish).

So far, Zedillo has yet to publicly respond to Madrazo’s accusations despite being long time political rivals. However, losing 2000 PRI presidential candidate Francisco Labastida denied Madrazo’s charges.

Zedillo’s name has been in the news lately as a possible successor to embattled World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz; Foreign Policy magazine editor Moises Naim brought up that possibility in an editorial published in Sunday’s Washington Post.

Links (Spanish)- Revoluciones, El Tiempo, Periódico AM, Milenio

Links (English)- VivirLatino, Washington Post

Image- Televisa

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Madrazo was part of this plot to give the 'dedazo' and presidency of 2000 to Fox. In fact, it was certainly mandated from The North with Clinton's economic bailout of Mexico.

What he's really ticked off about is that the plan to alternate went awry, and he didn't get the presidency he thought promised to him in 2006. And neither did the PRI.

Some times the best plans just don't work out and then you just have to write about treason and betrayal. Funny and sad both. But what's a rat to expect?

Anonymous said...

I'm sure Madrazo's publicists are already working to get the book air time on Lopez Obrador's late night talk show....

Erwin C. said...

Madrazo definitely has a bone to pick with Zedillo and the PRI leaders. But what if his allegations are true? Would Mexico enter into a maelstrom of controversy or will it all blow over?