Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas dies at 92
Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, a prominent figure in Mexican politics and a three-time presidential candidate, died Wednesday at the age of 92, confirmed Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, reports BritPanorama.
As an undisputed leader of the Mexican left, Cárdenas was the son of popular former President Gen. Lázaro Cárdenas and earned respect from both allies and adversaries.
He was instrumental in Mexico’s democratic transition, beginning with his first presidential bid in 1988, which ended in a loss widely perceived to be the result of extensive electoral fraud.
In 1997, he made history as Mexico City’s first mayor elected by popular vote.
Cárdenas’ commitment to his principles was unwavering; in 2014, he resigned from the Democratic Revolution Party, which he had helped establish in the late 1980s, due to its governance in Guerrero during the forced disappearance of 43 students.
He also distanced himself from his former ally, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, following López Obrador’s election as president in 2018.
Sheinbaum described Cárdenas on X as “a man of firm principles,” who reshaped Mexico’s political landscape through “a peaceful democratic movement that channeled millions of Mexicans’ yearning for change.”
She noted that the day of the historic election, when Cárdenas should have been acknowledged as president, marked the genesis of Mexico’s democratic transformation. His dignity and republican values will continue to serve as an essential reference for the nation.
