The fall of Mexico’s PRI party, a once-dominant political force

As the June 2 election nears, experts say the PRI remains weak, limping to a lacklustre result in the presidential race. Building a ‘well-oiled’ machine Luis Herrán, a professor of Latin American history at the University of New Mexico, explained that, for much of its existence, the PRI kept losses at bay by managing a “well-oiled machinery” of political power. And this has accentuated internal party conflicts.” Some experts, like Herrán, point to the leadership of PRI director Alejandro “Alito” Moreno as causing further fractures in the party. “In fact — by its conduct, by the manner in which it operates, for the project of power it embodies, for its political culture, the personalities that represent it — for many people, Morena is a reconverted PRI.” The only difference, Campa Butrón added, is that Morena proclaims to be left-wing, while the PRI has drifted rightwards. Like the PRI, he said, “Morena has become this very heterogeneous party, absorbing these local and regional political groups and launching them onto the national scene through candidacies.” But he questioned whether Morena will retain its popularity after López Obrador leaves office this year.