Cuauhtemoc Cardenas Mexican politician. Date of Birth: 01.05.1934 Country: Mexico

1. Biography of Cuauhtemoc Cardenas
2. Early Life and Education
3. Political Career
4. Foundation of the PRD
5. Later Career

Biography of Cuauhtemoc Cardenas

Cuauhtemoc Cardenas is a Mexican politician and was born on May 1, 1934, in Mexico City. He comes from a family of politicians, as his father, Lazaro Cardenas, served as the President of Mexico from 1934 to 1940 and was considered one of the most popular political figures in the country's history.

Early Life and Education

Cardenas completed his education at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. In 1957, he attended special courses at the Ministry of Construction in Paris, and in 1958, he worked for the Krupp company in Germany. Upon returning to Mexico, he became an assistant director at a steel mill in Las Truchas, Michoacan.

Political Career

Cardenas became involved in politics in 1951 when he supported General Gusman, an opposition candidate, in the presidential elections. In 1959, he co-founded the National Liberation Movement (NLM) with his father, aiming to implement reforms and support the Cuban revolution. Throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s, Cardenas held important positions within the Institutional Revolutionary Party (IRP).

In 1976, he was elected senator for the state of Michoacan, and from 1980 to 1986, he served as the state's governor. Cardenas disagreed with President Miguel de la Madrid's policies, which relied on the support of domestic and US capital. He also believed that the ruling party's structure lacked democracy. In 1986, he formed an opposition faction called the Democratic Movement with Porfirio Munoz Ledo, another reformist leader of the IRP.

Foundation of the PRD

After being expelled from the IRP in 1987, Cardenas established the National Democratic Front and announced his intention to participate in the presidential elections. He campaigned against Carlos Salinas de Gortari, who was chosen by President Miguel de la Madrid as his successor.

In the 1988 presidential elections, Cardenas proposed a moratorium on Mexico's massive foreign debt payments and opposed the existing political course, which aimed to privatize several industrial sectors. Salinas won 50.5% of the votes, Cardenas received 31%, and Manuel Clouthier from the National Action Party (PAN) garnered 17%. Many foreign observers and prominent Mexican citizens accused the elections of being fraudulent. Cardenas' supporters and Clouthier's supporters took to the streets to protest. However, in September 1988, the Mexican Chamber of Deputies formally confirmed Salinas as the President.

Cardenas and other leaders of the National Democratic Front then joined forces with members of the Mexican Socialist Party (MSP) and other small political groups to form the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). Following the 1988 elections, dozens of PRD activists were imprisoned or killed. The local elections in 1989 and 1990 were accompanied by accusations of widespread falsification of results.

Later Career

In the 1994 presidential campaign, Cardenas faced the shadow of the assassination of Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta, who was considered Salinas' chosen successor. In the August elections, Cardenas finished third, receiving only 16% of the votes.

In 1997, Cardenas achieved victory over the government candidate in the race for the mayoralty of Mexico City, and he is considered one of the potential candidates for the presidency in the 2000 elections.