Cárdenas cannot prevent President Zedillo from continuing his neo-liberal orientation. But his relative strength will enable a large-scale confrontation over the orientation The results
Mexico * of the economy, and the social priorities of the country. A few modest propositions
In any case, the PRT will combine its parhamentary work with extra-parliamentary activities. The party has not ruled out participation in the administration of the capital region, though this would have "strengthen the democratic struggle, and put our socialist stamp on that struggle." Cárdenas has four months to form the Federal District's new government, which will take office on 5 December 1997.
One area of parliamentary and extra-parliamentary confrontation will be over the national government's creeping introduction of military control over the various police
The Institutional Revolutionary Party suffered a devastating defeat, losing control of quences of the new elections is that the new majority of "opposition" forces could pass a have 240 representatives, the left-wing legislature law like that proposed by the Cocopa co-ordination of indigenous groups, even without
PRI support.
Although the national balance of forces still favours the right, the left has emerged from these elections particularly strong in some regions. The cardinista movement linked to Cárdenas' bid for the presidency was more spectacular than the PRD campaign in these elections. But this elections represented a deeper movement - they took the congress for the first time in 70 years. In the Chamber of Deputies the PRI will PRD 122, the conservative PAN 120, the ecologists (PVEM) 11, and the Workers Party (PT) 7. The PRD is now the second most important party in the Chamber.
In the Senate, 32 out of 128 senators were up for election). The PRI now has 76 Senators; the PAN, 32; the PRD, 16; the PVEM 1; there are two independents and one vacent seat following the death of a senator.
For the first time since the 1920s, the have an automatic majority in the
The rightist National Action Party (PAN) succeeded in winning two governorships. Their victory in Nuevo Leon, a conservative northern state, had been expected, but the PAN victory in Queretaro was a surprise. Historically the PRI, through its Mexican Confederation of
Workers (CTM) has held control of this central manutacturing state.
In total, 57.1% of those eligible voted 22.4 million people did not, or could not place in a more developed and better orga-
Mexican President and the PRI will not vote. [DLB] * nised civil society, with a deeper level of rejection of the ruling class ideologies.
Nevertheless, the conservative opposition