* Mexico
The PRD and the social movements
• E4/$5/35FF. Cheque payable to P. Rousset, IIRE, Postbus 53290, 1007 Amsterdam, Netherlands cipation and direct democracy. The perspective is one of rupture with the party-state, which will go far beyond the levels which those who are negotiating an "orderly transition" with the old regime expect.
Mexico is not in a process of democratic
The PRD was founded in 1989 through the merger of two tendencies. Cuauhtetown of a private Golf Course; and a former candidate for secretary general moc Cárdenas and the Democratic Cur- of the National Teachers Union (SNTE)
transition. Neither President Zedillo nor the
PRI is committed to democracy. Democratic gains have been won through mass struggle, including the electoral rejection of the PRI, merly part of the Communist Party. Cár- advisor to the Mexico City bus drivers of and through the existence of groups like the
EZLN and EPR, which have opted for the armed struggle.
The old system is in irreversible decline.
Those who stand with the exploited and oppressed can look to the future with hope and optimism! * rent of the PRI merged with the Unified Socialist Party of Mexico (PSUM), fordenas brought his own radical base in the form of militant peasants from Michoacan. The PSUM brought to the marriage not only the Communist Party's reformist tradition, but also former guerrilla groups and other more radical tendencies.
Since that time, the PRD has attracted many movement activists. Among those elected in July, for example, were three leaders of the debtors movement, El
One of the two FAC-MLN leaders elected to congress was Benito Miron, an Route 100 (SUTAUR), an independent union which spent over a year in a desperate struggle with the PRI-government of Mexico City.
The PRD has never had much of a strategy towards labour. But during this election, things began to change. For example, a group of executive, legislative and judicial employees of the Federal District placed an advert in newspapers on July 2 expressing their
Barzón, lesbian activist and Fourth Inter- support for Cárdenas, "because he has national supporter Patria Jiménez; two been the only candidate who has solimembers of the Broad Front for the darised himself with our struggle, has
Notes
1. In 1988, Cárdenas won most votes in the presidential election, but was cheated of victory by the PRI candidate.
Creation of a National Liberation Movement (FAC-MLN); a leader of the Tepozlistened to us and has made our demands his..." [DLB] *
Salinas.
2. El Tercer Vínculo. De la teoría del caos a la teoría de la militarización, Carlos Fazio.