National Action Party (Mexico)
Encyclopedia
The National Action Party , is one of the three main political parties in Mexico. The party's political platform is generally considered Centre-Right
in the Mexican political spectrum. Since 2000, the President of Mexico
has been a member of this party; both houses have PAN pluralities, but the party does not have a majority in either house of the Congress
. In the 2006 legislative elections the party won 207 out of 500 seats in the Chamber of Deputies
and 52 out of 128 Senators
.
Roman Catholics, together with other conservatives (mainly Manuel Gómez Morín
), founded the PAN on September 17, 1939, after the cristero insurgency was forced by the Mexican bishops to abandon the Cristero War
. They were looking for a peaceful way to bring about change in the country and to achieve political representation, after the years of chaos and violence that followed the Mexican Revolution
. The turning point in the Cristero War was when the Roman Catholic Church
reached an agreement with the National Revolutionary Party
– the forerunner of the Institutional Revolutionary Party
(PRI) that dominated the country for most of the 20th century – under which it turned a blind eye to the lack of democracy in the country and stopped supporting the Catholic rebels, threatening its members with excommunication
if they disobeyed the government.
In 1946, PAN members Miguel Ramírez Munguía (Tacámbaro, Michoacán
), Juan Gutiérrez Lascurain (Federal District), Antonio L. Rodríguez (Nuevo León
) and Aquiles Elorduy García (Aguascalientes
) become the first four federal deputies from the opposition in post-Revolutionary Mexico. The following year Manuel Torres Serranía, from Quiroga
, Michoacán
, becomes the party's first municipal president
and Alfonso Hernández Sánchez (from Zamora
, Michoacán
) its first state deputy.
In 1962, Rosario Alcalá (Aguascalientes) became the first female candidate for state governor and two years later Florentina Villalobos Chaparro (Parral
, Chihuahua), became the first female federal deputy. In 1967 Norma Villarreal de Zambrano (San Pedro Garza García
, Nuevo León
) became the first female municipal president. In 1988, the newly created Assembly of Representatives of the Federal District had, for the first time, members of the PAN. In 1989, Ernesto Ruffo Appel
(Baja California) became the first opposition governor. Two years later, his future successor in the Baja California government, Héctor Terán Terán
, became the first federal senator from the PAN. From 1992 to 2000, PAN candidates won the elections for governorships in Guanajuato
, Chihuahua, Jalisco
, Querétaro
, Nuevo León
, Aguascalientes
, Yucatán
and Morelos
.
, the candidate of the Alianza por el cambio ("Alliance for change"), formed by the PAN and the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico
(PVEM), Vicente Fox Quesada won 42.5% of the popular vote and was elected president of Mexico
. In the senate elections
of the same date, the Alliance won 46 out of 128 seats in the Senate. The Alliance broke off the following year and the PVEM has since participated together with the PRI in most elections.?
In the 2003 mid-term elections
, the party won 30.74% of the popular vote and 153 out of 500 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.
In 2003, the PAN lost the governorship of Nuevo León
to the PRI and, the following year, failed to win back the state of Chihuahua from the PRI. Coupled with a bitterly fought election in Colima
that was cancelled and later re-run, these developments were interpreted by some political analysts to be a significant rejection of the PAN in advance of the 2006 presidential election
. In contrast, 2004 did see the PAN win for the first time in Tlaxcala
, in a state that would not normally be considered PAN territory, although its candidate was a member of the PRI until a few months before the elections. It also managed to hold on to Querétaro
(by a mere 3% margin against the PRI) and Aguascalientes
(although in 2007, it lost most of the municipalities and the local Congress to the PRI). However, in 2005 the PAN lost the elections for the state government of Mexico State and Nayarit
to the PRI. The former was considered one of the most important elections in the country because of the number of voters involved, which is higher than the elections for head of government of the Federal District. (See: 2003 Mexican elections
, 2004 Mexican elections
and 2005 Mexican elections
for results.)
For the presidential election in 2006
, Felipe Calderón
, a former party president, was selected as the PAN's candidate, after beating his opponents Santiago Creel
(Secretary of the Interior
during Fox's term) and Alberto Cárdenas
(former governor of Jalisco
) in every voting round in the party primaries. On July 2, 2006, Felipe Calderón secured a plurality of the votes cast. Finishing less than one percent behind was Andrés Manuel López Obrador
, who unsuccessfully challenged the results of the election. In addition to the presidency, the PAN won 206 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 52 in the Senate, securing it the largest single party blocs in both houses.
In 2007, the PAN lost the governorship and the majority in the state congress of Yucatán
to the PRI as well as the municipal presidency of Aguascalientes
, but kept both the governorship and the majority in the state congress of Baja California
. The PRI also obtained more municipal presidents and local congresspeople in Chihuahua, Durango, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Chiapas and Oaxaca. The PRD obtained more posts than the PAN in Zacatecas, Chiapas and Oaxaca.
and Peronism
, although the similarity is weakened in the late authoritarian stance of Perón
.)
This theory of National Action politics, rejecting a fundamental adherence to right or left, is held within a strongly Christian context, and falls under the umbrella of Christian Democracy
.
The party theory was largely developed by early figures such as Gómez Morín
and his associates. However, some observers consider the PAN claim to National Action politics to be weakened by the apparent persistent predominance of conservatism in PAN policy in practice.
. Its philosophy has similarities with Europe
's Christian Democratic parties. The PAN is a member of the Christian Democrat Organization of America
(CDOA). The PAN officially claims to be a non-confessional party in a country that is almost 90% Christian; however, while on the campaign trail in 2000, Vicente Fox appeared holding a banner emblazoned with the revered icon of the Virgin of Guadalupe
– and was fined MXN
$20,000 for mixing religion and politics. As president, he continued to make public appearances attending mass as well as proclaiming his faith (even kissing Pope John Paul II
's ring
upon his arrival in Mexico in 2002) and ended his speeches with a "God bless you".
In general, PAN claims to support free enterprise and thus trade agreements. The opposition criticizes the PAN's support of the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA). Some intellectuals denounce NAFTA as unfair trade
, rather than "free trade".
Another controversial position is privatization of the energy sector.
administration, called emergency contraception
a "weapon of mass destruction
" in July 2005. It was during Fox's term, however, that the "morning-after" pill was legalized, even though the Church had condemned the use of "abortion pills".
The PAN produced a television spot against state-financed abortion, one that features popular comedian Chespirito
(who was also featured on a TV spot promoting Vicente Fox in the 2000 presidential elections) and a second one that accuses the PRI and PRD of wanting to kill the unborn. After the abortion bill, which made abortion available, anonymous, and free or government-paid, was approved at the local legislature, the PAN requested the Human Rights Commission of the Federal District (CHDDF) to enact actions on the unconstitutionality of the measure, the CHDDF rejected the request as it found no basis of unconstitutionality. After unsuccessfully appealing to unconstitutionality, the PAN declared that it may request the remotion of Emilio Álvarez Icaza, the president of the Human Rights Commission of the Federal District, for his lack of "moral quality". The PAN, with the members of the Association of Catholic Lawyers, gathered signatures and turned them in to the Federal District Electoral Institute (IEDF) to void the abortion bill and force a referendum, which was also rejected by the IEDF. In May 2007, the PAN started a campaign to encourage rejections to perform abortion amongst doctors in the Federal District based on conscience.
There is no official position statement of the PAN on private abortion. Its opposition to abortion has been only on state-financed cases of the practice.
In some cases, PAN mayors and governors have banned public employees from wearing miniskirt
s (Guadalajara
), clamped down on the use of profanity
in public marketplaces (Santiago de Querétaro
), and the last and most polemical had to be with the mayor of Guanajuato
City, who tried to prevent couples from kissing on the streets, although this did not pass.
were the only legislators that voted against it.
The same year, the local legislature of Coahuila
approved the law of civil unions to which the PAN also opposed. The PAN also lodged an unconstitutionality plea before the Supreme Court of Justice of the State of Coahuila, alleging that the constitution has vowed to protect the institution of the family.
Guillermo Bustamente Manilla, a member of the PAN and the president of the National Parents Union (UNPF) is the father of Guillermo Bustamante Artasánchez, a law director of the Secretary of the Interior
, Carlos Abascal, during Fox's presidency and is currently working in the Calderón administration against abortion and same-sex civil unions.Proceso, Calderón, cómplice del clero, April 23, 2007. He called the latter as "anti-natural." He has publicly asked voters not to cast votes for "abortionist" parties and those who are in favor of homosexual relationships.ACI Prensa, Padres de familia mexicanos piden no votar por partidos abortistas, April 30, 2007.
1.- Resigned to run for president
Centre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
in the Mexican political spectrum. Since 2000, the President of Mexico
President of Mexico
The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
has been a member of this party; both houses have PAN pluralities, but the party does not have a majority in either house of the Congress
Congress of Mexico
The Congress of the Union is the legislative branch of the Mexican government...
. In the 2006 legislative elections the party won 207 out of 500 seats in the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Mexico
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Congress of the Union, Mexico's bicameral legislature. The structure and responsibilities of both chambers of Congress are defined in Articles 50 to 70 of the current constitution.-Composition:The Chamber of Deputies is composed of one federal...
and 52 out of 128 Senators
Senate of Mexico
The Senate of the Republic, constitutionally Chamber of Senators of the Honorable Congress of the Union After a series of reforms during the 1990s, it is now made up of 128 senators:...
.
20th century
MexicanMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
Roman Catholics, together with other conservatives (mainly Manuel Gómez Morín
Manuel Gómez Morín
Manuel Gómez Morín was a Mexican politician. He was a founding member of the National Action Party, and one of its theoreticians...
), founded the PAN on September 17, 1939, after the cristero insurgency was forced by the Mexican bishops to abandon the Cristero War
Cristero War
The Cristero War of 1926 to 1929 was an uprising and counter-revolution against the Mexican government in power at that time. The rebellion was set off by the strict enforcement of the anti-clerical provisions of the Mexican Constitution of 1917 and the expansion of further anti-clerical laws...
. They were looking for a peaceful way to bring about change in the country and to achieve political representation, after the years of chaos and violence that followed the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
. The turning point in the Cristero War was when the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
reached an agreement with the National Revolutionary Party
Institutional Revolutionary Party
The Institutional Revolutionary Party is a Mexican political party that held power in the country—under a succession of names—for more than 70 years. The PRI is a member of the Socialist International, as is the rival Party of the Democratic Revolution , making Mexico one of the few...
– the forerunner of the Institutional Revolutionary Party
Institutional Revolutionary Party
The Institutional Revolutionary Party is a Mexican political party that held power in the country—under a succession of names—for more than 70 years. The PRI is a member of the Socialist International, as is the rival Party of the Democratic Revolution , making Mexico one of the few...
(PRI) that dominated the country for most of the 20th century – under which it turned a blind eye to the lack of democracy in the country and stopped supporting the Catholic rebels, threatening its members with excommunication
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
if they disobeyed the government.
In 1946, PAN members Miguel Ramírez Munguía (Tacámbaro, Michoacán
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
), Juan Gutiérrez Lascurain (Federal District), Antonio L. Rodríguez (Nuevo León
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
) and Aquiles Elorduy García (Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 11 municipalities and its capital city is Aguascalientes....
) become the first four federal deputies from the opposition in post-Revolutionary Mexico. The following year Manuel Torres Serranía, from Quiroga
Quiroga, Michoacán
Quiroga is a municipality in the Mexican state of Michoacán. The municipal seat of Quiroga is also called Quiroga.-Geographic location:The municipality of Quiroga is located at the north of the State, at coordinates 19 º 40 'N latitude and 101 ° 32' west. At an altitude of 2080 meters above sea level...
, Michoacán
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
, becomes the party's first municipal president
Municipal president
A presidente municipal is the chief of government of municipios in Mexico. The position is comparable to the county executive of a county in the United States or to the mayor of a city in the United States, although the jurisdiction of a presidente municipal includes not only a city but the...
and Alfonso Hernández Sánchez (from Zamora
Zamora, Michoacán
Zamora de Hidalgo, is a city in the Mexican state of Michoacán. The 2010 census population was 141,627. making it the third largest city in the state. The city is the municipal seat of Zamora Municipality, which has an area of 330.97 km² and includes many other smaller communities, the largest of...
, Michoacán
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
) its first state deputy.
In 1962, Rosario Alcalá (Aguascalientes) became the first female candidate for state governor and two years later Florentina Villalobos Chaparro (Parral
Parral, Chihuahua
Hidalgo del Parral, is a city and seat of the municipality of Hidalgo del Parral in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is located in the southern part of the state, 220 km from the state capital, the city of Chihuahua, Chih....
, Chihuahua), became the first female federal deputy. In 1967 Norma Villarreal de Zambrano (San Pedro Garza García
San Pedro Garza García
San Pedro Garza García is a city-municipality of the Mexican state of Nuevo León and is part of Monterrey's Metropolitan Area, based on the suburban North American model...
, Nuevo León
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
) became the first female municipal president. In 1988, the newly created Assembly of Representatives of the Federal District had, for the first time, members of the PAN. In 1989, Ernesto Ruffo Appel
Ernesto Ruffo Appel
Ernesto Ruffo Appel is an American-born Mexican politician famous for being the first state governor not belonging to the Partido Revolucionario Institucional since its formation in 1929....
(Baja California) became the first opposition governor. Two years later, his future successor in the Baja California government, Héctor Terán Terán
Héctor Terán Terán
Héctor Téran Terán was a Mexican politician, member of the National Action Party , and governor of the state of Baja California....
, became the first federal senator from the PAN. From 1992 to 2000, PAN candidates won the elections for governorships in Guanajuato
Guanajuato
Guanajuato officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 46 municipalities and its capital city is Guanajuato....
, Chihuahua, Jalisco
Jalisco
Jalisco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in Western Mexico and divided in 125 municipalities and its capital city is Guadalajara.It is one of the more important states...
, Querétaro
Querétaro
Querétaro officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro de Arteaga is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities and its capital city is Santiago de Querétaro....
, Nuevo León
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
, Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 11 municipalities and its capital city is Aguascalientes....
, Yucatán
Yucatán
Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
and Morelos
Morelos
Morelos officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Morelos is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 33 municipalities and its capital city is Cuernavaca....
.
21st century
In the 2000 presidential electionsMexican general election, 2000
General elections were held in Mexico on 6 July 2000. The presidential elections were won by Vicente Fox of the Alliance for Change, who received 43.4% of the vote, the first time the opposition had won an election since the Mexican Revolution...
, the candidate of the Alianza por el cambio ("Alliance for change"), formed by the PAN and the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico
Ecologist Green Party of Mexico
The Ecologist Green Party of Mexico is one of the six political parties to have representation in the Mexican Congress. The party's congressional strength currently stands at 17 deputies and five senators .-Elections 2000:...
(PVEM), Vicente Fox Quesada won 42.5% of the popular vote and was elected president of Mexico
President of Mexico
The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
. In the senate elections
Mexican general election, 2000
General elections were held in Mexico on 6 July 2000. The presidential elections were won by Vicente Fox of the Alliance for Change, who received 43.4% of the vote, the first time the opposition had won an election since the Mexican Revolution...
of the same date, the Alliance won 46 out of 128 seats in the Senate. The Alliance broke off the following year and the PVEM has since participated together with the PRI in most elections.?
In the 2003 mid-term elections
2003 Mexican elections
A number of elections, both federal and local, took place in Mexico during 2003:-Federal Congress:**Chamber of Deputies – 500 federal deputies-Colima:**Governor, state congress, and mayors**See: 2003 Colima state election-Nuevo León:...
, the party won 30.74% of the popular vote and 153 out of 500 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.
In 2003, the PAN lost the governorship of Nuevo León
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
to the PRI and, the following year, failed to win back the state of Chihuahua from the PRI. Coupled with a bitterly fought election in Colima
Colima
Colima is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima....
that was cancelled and later re-run, these developments were interpreted by some political analysts to be a significant rejection of the PAN in advance of the 2006 presidential election
Mexican general election, 2006
A general election was held in Mexico on Sunday, July 2, 2006. Voters went to the polls to elect, on the federal level:*A new President of the Republic to serve a six-year term, replacing then Mexican President Vicente Fox .*500 members to serve for a...
. In contrast, 2004 did see the PAN win for the first time in Tlaxcala
Tlaxcala
Tlaxcala officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tlaxcala is one of the 31 states which along with the Federal District comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 60 municipalities and its capital city is Tlaxcala....
, in a state that would not normally be considered PAN territory, although its candidate was a member of the PRI until a few months before the elections. It also managed to hold on to Querétaro
Querétaro
Querétaro officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro de Arteaga is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities and its capital city is Santiago de Querétaro....
(by a mere 3% margin against the PRI) and Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 11 municipalities and its capital city is Aguascalientes....
(although in 2007, it lost most of the municipalities and the local Congress to the PRI). However, in 2005 the PAN lost the elections for the state government of Mexico State and Nayarit
Nayarit
Nayarit officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its capital city is Tepic.It is located in Western Mexico...
to the PRI. The former was considered one of the most important elections in the country because of the number of voters involved, which is higher than the elections for head of government of the Federal District. (See: 2003 Mexican elections
2003 Mexican elections
A number of elections, both federal and local, took place in Mexico during 2003:-Federal Congress:**Chamber of Deputies – 500 federal deputies-Colima:**Governor, state congress, and mayors**See: 2003 Colima state election-Nuevo León:...
, 2004 Mexican elections
2004 Mexican elections
A number of local elections took place in Mexico during 2004:-Chihuahua:**Governor, state congress, and mayors**See: 2004 Chihuahua state election-Durango:**Governor, state congress, and mayors**See: 2004 Durango state election-Zacatecas:...
and 2005 Mexican elections
2005 Mexican elections
A number of local elections took place in Mexico during 2005:-Baja California Sur:*Governor, five mayors, and 21 local deputies*See: 2005 Baja California Sur state election-Quintana Roo:*Governor, eight mayors, and 25 local deputies...
for results.)
For the presidential election in 2006
Mexican general election, 2006
A general election was held in Mexico on Sunday, July 2, 2006. Voters went to the polls to elect, on the federal level:*A new President of the Republic to serve a six-year term, replacing then Mexican President Vicente Fox .*500 members to serve for a...
, Felipe Calderón
Felipe Calderón
Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa is the current President of Mexico. He assumed office on December 1, 2006, and was elected for a single six-year term through 2012...
, a former party president, was selected as the PAN's candidate, after beating his opponents Santiago Creel
Santiago Creel
Santiago Creel Miranda is a Mexican senator representing the right-of-center National Action Party who served as Secretary of the Interior in the cabinet of President Vicente Fox....
(Secretary of the Interior
Secretary of the Interior (Mexico)
The Mexican Secretary of the Interior is the head of the Secretariat of the Interior, concerned with the country's internal affairs, the presentation of the president's bills to Congress, their publication and certain issues of national security. The country's main intelligence agency, CISEN,...
during Fox's term) and Alberto Cárdenas
Alberto Cárdenas
Alberto Cárdenas Jiménez is a Mexican politician affiliated to the conservative National Action Party . He is a former governor of Jalisco, and Secretary of Agriculture in the cabinet of Felipe Calderón...
(former governor of Jalisco
Governor of Jalisco
The following is a list of governors of the Mexican state of Jalisco from 1921. The current constitution indicates a term 6 years in length, which cannot be renewed under any circumstances. It also stipulates the qualifications for becoming governor: a Mexican citizen by birth, at least 30 years of...
) in every voting round in the party primaries. On July 2, 2006, Felipe Calderón secured a plurality of the votes cast. Finishing less than one percent behind was Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Andrés Manuel López Obrador , also known as AMLO or El Peje, is a Mexican politician who held the position of Head of Government of the Federal District from 2000 to 2005, before resigning in July 2005 to contend the 2006 presidential election, representing the unsuccessful Coalition for the Good...
, who unsuccessfully challenged the results of the election. In addition to the presidency, the PAN won 206 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 52 in the Senate, securing it the largest single party blocs in both houses.
In 2007, the PAN lost the governorship and the majority in the state congress of Yucatán
Congress of Yucatán
The Congress of the State of Yucatán is the legislative branch of the government of the State of Yucatán. The Congress is the governmental deliberative body of Yucatán, which is equal to, and independent of, the executive...
to the PRI as well as the municipal presidency of Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes
The city of Aguascalientes is the capital of the state of Aguascalientes in western central Mexico. It stands on the banks of the Río Aguascalientes, 1880 meters above sea level, at...
, but kept both the governorship and the majority in the state congress of Baja California
Congress of Baja California
The Congress of Baja California is the state legislature of Baja California, a state of Mexico. The Congress is unicameral....
. The PRI also obtained more municipal presidents and local congresspeople in Chihuahua, Durango, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Chiapas and Oaxaca. The PRD obtained more posts than the PAN in Zacatecas, Chiapas and Oaxaca.
Ideology
The PAN has been linked to a conservative stance in Mexican politics since its inception, but the party does not consider itself a fundamentally conservative party. The party ideology, at least in principle, is that of "National Action" which rejects a fundamental adherence to left- or right-wing politics or policies, instead requiring the adoption of such policies as correspond to the problems faced by the nation at any given moment. Thus both right and left wing policies may be considered equally carefully in formulation of national policy. (This is a similar theoretical basis as both GaullismGaullism
Gaullism is a French political ideology based on the thought and action of Resistance leader then president Charles de Gaulle.-Foreign policy:...
and Peronism
Peronism
Peronism , or Justicialism , is an Argentine political movement based on the programmes associated with former President Juan Perón and his second wife, Eva Perón...
, although the similarity is weakened in the late authoritarian stance of Perón
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
.)
This theory of National Action politics, rejecting a fundamental adherence to right or left, is held within a strongly Christian context, and falls under the umbrella of Christian Democracy
Christian Democracy
Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching...
.
The party theory was largely developed by early figures such as Gómez Morín
Manuel Gómez Morín
Manuel Gómez Morín was a Mexican politician. He was a founding member of the National Action Party, and one of its theoreticians...
and his associates. However, some observers consider the PAN claim to National Action politics to be weakened by the apparent persistent predominance of conservatism in PAN policy in practice.
Economic policies
The PAN currently occupies the right of Mexico's political spectrum, advocating free enterprise, privatization, smaller government, and liberal reforms as well as opposition to same-sex unions and abortionAbortion in Mexico
Abortion is a controversial issue in Mexico, where it is offered on request to any woman up to twelve weeks into a pregnancy in Mexico City, but forbidden in 18 out of 31 Mexican state constitutions...
. Its philosophy has similarities with Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
's Christian Democratic parties. The PAN is a member of the Christian Democrat Organization of America
Christian Democrat Organization of America
The Christian Democrat Organization of America is an international organization made up of political parties, groups and associations that share Christian humanist principles...
(CDOA). The PAN officially claims to be a non-confessional party in a country that is almost 90% Christian; however, while on the campaign trail in 2000, Vicente Fox appeared holding a banner emblazoned with the revered icon of the Virgin of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe , also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe is a celebrated Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary.According to tradition, on December 9, 1531 Juan Diego, a simple indigenous peasant, had a vision of a young woman while he was on a hill in the Tepeyac desert, near Mexico City. The lady...
– and was fined MXN
Mexican peso
The peso is the currency of Mexico. Modern peso and dollar currencies have a common origin in the 15th–19th century Spanish dollar, most continuing to use its sign, "$". The Mexican peso is the 12th most traded currency in the world, the third most traded in the Americas, and by far the most...
$20,000 for mixing religion and politics. As president, he continued to make public appearances attending mass as well as proclaiming his faith (even kissing Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
's ring
Ring of the Fisherman
The Ring of the Fisherman, also known as the Piscatory Ring, Annulus Piscatoris and the Anello Piscatorio , is an official part of the regalia worn by the Pope, who is head of the Catholic Church and successor of Saint Peter, who was a fisherman by trade...
upon his arrival in Mexico in 2002) and ended his speeches with a "God bless you".
In general, PAN claims to support free enterprise and thus trade agreements. The opposition criticizes the PAN's support of the North American Free Trade Agreement
North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA is an agreement signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994. It superseded the Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement...
(NAFTA). Some intellectuals denounce NAFTA as unfair trade
Fair trade
Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...
, rather than "free trade".
Another controversial position is privatization of the energy sector.
Abortion
Carlos Abascal, secretary of the interior in the latter part of the FoxVicente Fox
Vicente Fox Quesada is a Mexican former politician who served as President of Mexico from 1 December 2000 to 30 November 2006 and currently serves as co-President of the Centrist Democrat International, an international organization of Christian democratic political parties.Fox was elected...
administration, called emergency contraception
Emergency contraception
Emergency contraception , or emergency postcoital contraception, refers to birth control measures that, if taken after sexual intercourse, may prevent pregnancy.Forms of EC include:...
a "weapon of mass destruction
Weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...
" in July 2005. It was during Fox's term, however, that the "morning-after" pill was legalized, even though the Church had condemned the use of "abortion pills".
The PAN produced a television spot against state-financed abortion, one that features popular comedian Chespirito
Roberto Gómez Bolaños
Roberto Gómez Bolaños is a Mexican writer, actor, director, comedian, humorist, songwriter, poet and philosopher. He is best known by his stage name Chespirito .-Life and work:...
(who was also featured on a TV spot promoting Vicente Fox in the 2000 presidential elections) and a second one that accuses the PRI and PRD of wanting to kill the unborn. After the abortion bill, which made abortion available, anonymous, and free or government-paid, was approved at the local legislature, the PAN requested the Human Rights Commission of the Federal District (CHDDF) to enact actions on the unconstitutionality of the measure, the CHDDF rejected the request as it found no basis of unconstitutionality. After unsuccessfully appealing to unconstitutionality, the PAN declared that it may request the remotion of Emilio Álvarez Icaza, the president of the Human Rights Commission of the Federal District, for his lack of "moral quality". The PAN, with the members of the Association of Catholic Lawyers, gathered signatures and turned them in to the Federal District Electoral Institute (IEDF) to void the abortion bill and force a referendum, which was also rejected by the IEDF. In May 2007, the PAN started a campaign to encourage rejections to perform abortion amongst doctors in the Federal District based on conscience.
There is no official position statement of the PAN on private abortion. Its opposition to abortion has been only on state-financed cases of the practice.
In some cases, PAN mayors and governors have banned public employees from wearing miniskirt
Miniskirt
A miniskirt, sometimes hyphenated as mini-skirt, is a skirt with a hemline well above the knees – generally no longer than below the buttocks; and a minidress is a dress with a similar meaning...
s (Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
), clamped down on the use of profanity
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
in public marketplaces (Santiago de Querétaro
Santiago de Querétaro
Santiago de Querétaro is the capital and largest city of the state of Querétaro, located in central Mexico. It is located 213 km northwest of Mexico City, 96 km southeast of San Miguel de Allende and 200 km south of San Luis Potosí...
), and the last and most polemical had to be with the mayor of Guanajuato
Guanajuato
Guanajuato officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 46 municipalities and its capital city is Guanajuato....
City, who tried to prevent couples from kissing on the streets, although this did not pass.
Recognition of same-sex unions in Mexico
The PAN has opposed measures to establish civil unions in Mexico City and Coahuila. On November 9, 2006, the government of the Federal District approved the first law establishing civil unions in Mexico. The members of the PAN, and a member of New AllianceNew Alliance Party (Mexico)
The New Alliance Party is one of the newest political parties in Mexico.Its creation was proposed by the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación , the largest trade union in Latin America, led by Elba Esther Gordillo, the controversial former general secretary of the Institutional...
were the only legislators that voted against it.
The same year, the local legislature of Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
approved the law of civil unions to which the PAN also opposed. The PAN also lodged an unconstitutionality plea before the Supreme Court of Justice of the State of Coahuila, alleging that the constitution has vowed to protect the institution of the family.
Guillermo Bustamente Manilla, a member of the PAN and the president of the National Parents Union (UNPF) is the father of Guillermo Bustamante Artasánchez, a law director of the Secretary of the Interior
Secretary of the Interior (Mexico)
The Mexican Secretary of the Interior is the head of the Secretariat of the Interior, concerned with the country's internal affairs, the presentation of the president's bills to Congress, their publication and certain issues of national security. The country's main intelligence agency, CISEN,...
, Carlos Abascal, during Fox's presidency and is currently working in the Calderón administration against abortion and same-sex civil unions.Proceso, Calderón, cómplice del clero, April 23, 2007. He called the latter as "anti-natural." He has publicly asked voters not to cast votes for "abortionist" parties and those who are in favor of homosexual relationships.ACI Prensa, Padres de familia mexicanos piden no votar por partidos abortistas, April 30, 2007.
Party Presidents
- Manuel Gómez MorínManuel Gómez MorínManuel Gómez Morín was a Mexican politician. He was a founding member of the National Action Party, and one of its theoreticians...
1939-1949 - Juan Gutiérrez Lascuráin 1949-1956
- Alfonso Ituarte Servín 1956-1959
- José González Torres 1959-1962
- Adolfo Christlieb IbarrolaAdolfo Christlieb IbarrolaAdolfo Christlieb Ibarrola was a Mexican lawyer and politician from Mexico City and former President of the National Action Party .-Education & teaching:...
1962-1968 http://www.fundacion-christlieb.org.mx/fundacion-ac/adolfo-christlieb.html - Ignacio Limón Maurer 1968-1969
- Manuel González Hinojosa 1969-1972
- José Ángel Conchelo Dávila 1972-1975
- Efraín González Morfín 19751
- Raúl González Schmall 1975 (interim)
- Manuel González Hinojosa 1975-1978
- Avel Vicencio Tovar 1978-1984
- Pablo Emilio MaderoPablo Emilio MaderoPablo Emilio Madero Belden was a Mexican politician. He was the 13th president of the National Action Party and former presidential candidate who represented both the PAN and the extinct Mexican Democratic Party .Pablo Emilio Madero...
1984-1987 - Luis H. ÁlvarezLuis H. ÁlvarezLuis Héctor Álvarez is a Mexican industrialist and politician. Álvarez is a member of the National Action Party. In 1958 he was a candidate for the Presidency of Mexico...
1987-1993 - Carlos Castillo PerazaCarlos Castillo PerazaCarlos Enrique Castillo Peraza was an intellectual, journalist and Mexican politician, Member of the National Action Party of which he was the 15th President from 1993 to 1996....
1993-1996 - Felipe Calderón Hinojosa 1996-1999
- Luis Felipe Bravo MenaLuis Felipe Bravo MenaLuis Felipe Bravo Mena is a Mexican politician. He was elected as the 17th president of the National Action Party and current Mexican ambassador to the Vatican City....
1999-2005 - Manuel Espino BarrientosManuel Espino BarrientosManuel Espino Barrientos He was the 18th President of National Action Party On November 11, 2006 he was elected president of the Christian Democrat Organization of America....
2005-2007 - Germán Martínez Cázares 2007-2009
- César Nava Vázquez 2009-Current
1.- Resigned to run for president
Presidential candidates
| Election Year | Result | Nominee |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | lost | Efraín González Luna |
| 1958 | lost | Luis H. Álvarez Luis H. Álvarez Luis Héctor Álvarez is a Mexican industrialist and politician. Álvarez is a member of the National Action Party. In 1958 he was a candidate for the Presidency of Mexico... |
| 1964 | lost | José Luis González Torres |
| 1970 | lost | Efraín González Morfín |
| 1976 | No Result | No Candidate |
| 1982 | lost | Pablo Emilio Madero Pablo Emilio Madero Pablo Emilio Madero Belden was a Mexican politician. He was the 13th president of the National Action Party and former presidential candidate who represented both the PAN and the extinct Mexican Democratic Party .Pablo Emilio Madero... |
| 1988 Mexican general election, 1988 General elections were held in Mexico on July 6, 1988. The presidential elections were won by Carlos Salinas de Gortari, who received 50.7% of the vote, the lowest for a winning candidate since direct elections were introduced for the presidency in 1917... |
lost | Manuel J. Clouthier Manuel Clouthier Manuel de Jesús Clouthier del Rincón, also known as Maquío was a Mexican businessman and politician affiliated to the conservative National Action Party... |
| 1994 Mexican general election, 1994 General elections were held in Mexico on 21 August 1994. The presidential elections resulted in a victory for Ernesto Zedillo of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, whilst the PRI won 300 of the 500 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 95 of the 128 seats in the Senate... |
lost | Diego Fernández de Cevallos Diego Fernández de Cevallos Diego Fernández de Cevallos Ramos is a Mexican politician affiliated to the conservative National Action Party . He was a presidential candidate in the 1994 election and President of the Mexican Senate.-Life and career:... |
| 2000 Mexican general election, 2000 General elections were held in Mexico on 6 July 2000. The presidential elections were won by Vicente Fox of the Alliance for Change, who received 43.4% of the vote, the first time the opposition had won an election since the Mexican Revolution... |
won | Vicente Fox Quesada Vicente Fox Vicente Fox Quesada is a Mexican former politician who served as President of Mexico from 1 December 2000 to 30 November 2006 and currently serves as co-President of the Centrist Democrat International, an international organization of Christian democratic political parties.Fox was elected... |
| 2006 Mexican general election, 2006 A general election was held in Mexico on Sunday, July 2, 2006. Voters went to the polls to elect, on the federal level:*A new President of the Republic to serve a six-year term, replacing then Mexican President Vicente Fox .*500 members to serve for a... |
won | Felipe Calderón Hinojosa Felipe Calderón Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa is the current President of Mexico. He assumed office on December 1, 2006, and was elected for a single six-year term through 2012... |