Elections in Mexico : The PRI Returns to Government, But without a Legislative Majority

Briefing 12-07-2012

The Institutional Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Institucional, PRI) and its candidate Enrique Peña Nieto emerged the clear victors of Mexico's elections on 1 July 2012. While Peña Nieto will take office as President on 1 December, the PRI and its allies did not achieve a majority in the two chambers of Congress, and the new government will have to negotiate with other parties to get support for its proposals. Overall, the elections consolidated Mexico's three-party system. The runner-up in the election, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the candidate of the left-wing Progressive Movement (Movimiento Progresista) alliance, has refused to recognise the result and has accused the PRI of massive vote-buying. A legal challenge against the result is unlikely to succeed, and it may be difficult to mobilise sustained protests against alleged electoral fraud.