Roberto Madrazo - 2006 Presidential Campaign

2006 Presidential Campaign

Madrazo's position as national leader of the PRI has given him a considerable advantage in his campaign for the 2006 presidential candidacy. As the election neared, there had been a growing discomfort among other would-be PRI candidates, who had increasingly demanded clear rules for the internal campaign be set. Many PRI-affiliated state governors formed the group Democratic Unity, nicknamed TUCOM (Todos Unidos Contra Madrazo, "All United Against Madrazo") in the media. They chose Arturo Montiel as their pre-candidate. In the primary elections, Madrazo, Montiel and a third contender Everardo Moreno Cruz, competed for the candidacy. Montiel resigned after allegations of impropriety concerning mansions in Mexico and France (his wife is a French citizen). His sons were also implicated in embezzlement schemes. The scandals resulted in Madrazo's candidacy, although minimal participation on the part of the PRI votership may indicate a lack of faith in the PRI or a general disinterest. Lately he has been accused by political rivals of tax evasion.

After the primaries, Madrazo forged an alliance with the PVEM, and earned the party's nomination. Madrazo faced a battle against Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the former Head of Government of the Federal District and PRD presidential candidate. López Obrador was something of a personal rival, having previously lost to Madrazo in the election for the Tabasco governorship in 1994. Another contestant was the right-of-center PAN candidate Felipe Calderón.

The public debate between Madrazo and Gordillo resulted in the creation of a new political party, the Partido Nueva Alianza, formed to oppose Madrazo in his bid for the presidency. For this she was suspended in her rights as a PRI "militant" (an official party position) pending an expulsion process. Gordillo has made it clear that she believes Madrazo is not a viable candidate for Mexico's presidency. The Nueva Alianza candidate, Roberto Campa, spent much of the first presidential debate attacking Madrazo.

Shortly after Gordillo's denunciation, the Mexico City newspaper Reforma, published an article that condemned Madrazo as the owner of a luxury penthouse in a prestigious highrise tower in Miami worth eight million pesos ($800,000 U.S. dollars) and three luxury apartments in Mexico City with the alleged value of seven million pesos. However, Madrazo's public declaration of assets, liabilities and expenses of January 19, 2006 denies the allegations.

Going into the elections, Madrazo polled at 30 percent.

On July 3, 2006, Madrazo and his coalition conceded defeat in the presidential election. According to official results, he received only 22.26% of the vote or 9,301,441 votes out of 41,791,322 votes—the PRI's worst presidential result ever.