National Action Party (Mexico)
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The National Action Party ( es, Partido Acción Nacional, PAN) is a
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
in
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
founded in 1939. The party is one of the four main
political parties in Mexico Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
, and, since the 1980s, has had success winning local, state, and national elections. In the historic
2000 Mexican general election General elections were held in Mexico on Sunday, 2 July 2000. Voters went to the polls to elect a new president to serve a single six-year term, replacing President Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León, who was ineligible for re-election under the 19 ...
, PAN candidate
Vicente Fox Vicente Fox Quesada (; born 2 July 1942) is a Mexican businessman and politician who served as the 62nd president of Mexico from 1 December 2000 to 30 November 2006. After campaigning as a Right-wing populism, right-wing populist, Fox was elec ...
was elected president for the constitutional six-year term; his victory marked the first time in 71 years that the Mexican presidency was not held by a member of the traditional ruling party, the PRI. Six years later, PAN candidate
Felipe Calderón Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa (; born 18 August 1962) is a Mexican politician who served as the 63rd president of Mexico from 1 December 2006 to 30 November 2012 and Secretary of Energy during the presidency of Vicente Fox between 2003 a ...
succeeded Fox in the presidency following victory in the
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
presidential election. During the period 2000–2012, PAN was the strongest party in both houses of the
Congress of the Union The Congress of the Union ( es, Congreso de la Unión, ), formally known as the General Congress of the United Mexican States (''Congreso General de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos''), is the legislature of the federal government of Mexico cons ...
(the federal legislature) but lacked a majority in either house. In the 2006 legislative elections the party won 207 out of 500 seats in the
Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
and 52 out of 128 Senators. In the 2012 legislative elections, PAN won 38 seats in the Senate, and 114 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, although the party did not win the presidential election in either
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
nor in
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
. The members of this party are colloquially called ''Panistas''. Notoriously, the two Presidents of the Republic that were elected as PAN candidates (Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderón) have both left the party. Fox supported PRI presidential candidates in 2012 and 2018, while Calderón has founded his own party, named "México Libre".


History


20th century


Founding

The National Action Party was founded in 1939 by
Manuel Gómez Morín Manuel Gómez Morín (27 February 1897 – 19 April 1972) was a Mexican politician. He was a founding member of the National Action Party, and one of its theoreticians. Prior to this he was considered a leading figure in Mexican monetary policy, ...
, who had held a number of important government posts in the 1920s and 1930s. He saw the need for the creation of a permanent political party rather than an ephemeral organization to oppose the expansion of power by the post-revolutionary Mexican state. When Gómez Morín was rector of
UNAM The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the bigges ...
between 1933 and 1935, the government attempted to impose socialist education. In defending academic freedom, Gómez Morín forged connections with individuals and groups that later came together in the foundation of the PAN in September 1939. The
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
student organization, Unión Nacional de Estudiantes Católicos (UNEC), provided a well-organized network of adherents who successfully fought the imposition of a particular ideological view by the state. Gómez Morín was not himself a militant Catholic, but he was a devout believer who rejected liberalism and individualism. In 1939, Gómez Morín and a significant number of UNEC's leadership came together to found the PAN. The PAN's first executive committee and committees on political action and doctrine also had former Catholic student activists, including
Luis Calderón Vega Luis Calderón Vega (1911–1989) was a Mexican politician and writer. Along with other leading opposition politicians, he was one of the founders of the National Action Party (PAN) in 1939. Calderón Vega, who married María del Carmen Hi ...
, the father of
Felipe Calderón Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa (; born 18 August 1962) is a Mexican politician who served as the 63rd president of Mexico from 1 December 2006 to 30 November 2012 and Secretary of Energy during the presidency of Vicente Fox between 2003 a ...
, who became President of Mexico in 2006. The PAN's “Doctrine of National Action” was strongly influenced by Catholic social doctrine articulated in ''
Rerum novarum ''Rerum novarum'' (from its incipit, with the direct translation of the Latin meaning "of revolutionary change"), or ''Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor'', is an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on 15 May 1891. It is an open letter, pass ...
'' (1891) and '' Quadragesimo anno'' (1931) and rejected
Marxist Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...
models of
class warfare Class conflict, also referred to as class struggle and class warfare, is the political tension and economic antagonism that exists in society because of socio-economic competition among the social classes or between rich and poor. The forms ...
. The PAN's newspaper, ''La Nación'' was founded by another former UNEC member, Carlos Séptien García.Espinosa, ''Jesuit Student Groups'', p. 73. Efraín González Luna, a former member of the Mexican Catholic Student Union (Unión Nacional de Estudiantes Católicos) (UNEC), a long-time militant Catholic and practicing lawyer from Guadalajara, helped broker the party's informal alliance with the Catholic Church. However, the relationship between the PAN and the Catholic Church was not without tension. The party's founder Gómez Morín was leery of clerical oversight of the party, although its members were mainly urban Catholic professionals and businessmen. For its part, the Church hierarchy did not want to identify itself with a particular political party, since the
Constitution of 1917 The Constitution of Mexico, formally the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States ( es, Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos), is the current constitution of Mexico. It was drafted in Santiago de Querétaro, in th ...
forbade it. In the 1950s, the PAN, which had been seen to be Catholic in its makeup, became more ideologically secular.


Electoral results

The PAN initially was a party of “civic example”, an independent
loyal opposition Loyal opposition in terms of politics, refers to specific political concepts that are related to the opposition parties of a particular political system. In many Westminster-style parliamentary systems of government, the loyal opposition indicat ...
that generally did not win elections at any level. However, in the 1980s it began a transformation to a political power, beginning at the local and state levels in the North of Mexico. A split in the PAN occurred in 1977, with the pro-Catholic faction and the more secular wing splitting. The PAN had updated its positions following the
Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...
, toward a greater affinity for the poor; however, more traditional Catholics were critical of that stance and nonreligious groups were also in opposition, since they wanted the party to be less explicitly Catholic and draw in more urban professionals and business groups, who would vote for a nonreligious opposition party. The conflict came to a head, and in 1977 the progressive Catholic wing left the party. The PAN had strength in Northern Mexico and its candidates had won elections earlier on, but these victories were small in comparison to those of the
Institutional Revolutionary Party The Institutional Revolutionary Party ( es, Partido Revolucionario Institucional, ; abbr. PRI) is a political party in Mexico that was founded in 1929 and held uninterrupted power in the country for 71 years, from 1929 to 2000, first as the Nati ...
. In 1946, PAN members Miguel Ramírez Munguía (
Tacámbaro Tacámbaro is a municipality located in the central region of the Mexican state of Michoacán. Its largest city and municipal seat is Heroica Tacámbaro de Codallos. The city is located at . In the 2020 census, the city's population was 81,105. ...
,
Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...
), Juan Gutiérrez Lascurain (
Federal District A federal district is a type of administrative division of a federation, usually under the direct control of a federal government and organized sometimes with a single municipal body. Federal districts often include capital districts, and they e ...
), Antonio L. Rodríguez (
Nuevo León Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...
) and Aquiles Elorduy García (
Aguascalientes Aguascalientes (; ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Aguascalientes ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Aguascalientes), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. At 22°N and ...
) became the first four federal deputies from the opposition in post-revolutionary Mexico. The following year Manuel Torres Serranía from Quiroga,
Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...
became the party's first
municipal president A ''presidente municipal'' (English: "municipal president") is the chief of government of municipios in Mexico. This title was also used in the Philippines under the Spanish and American colonization; it is comparable to a mayor of the town or city ...
and Alfonso Hernández Sánchez (from Zamora,
Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...
) its first state deputy.History of the PAN. PAN official website
In 1962, Rosario Alcalá (Aguascalientes) became the first female candidate for state governor and two years later Florentina Villalobos Chaparro ( Parral, Chihuahua) became the first female federal deputy. In 1967 Norma Villarreal de Zambrano (
San Pedro Garza García San Pedro Garza García ''(''also known as San Pedro or Garza García'')'' is a city-municipality of the Mexican state of Nuevo León and part of the Monterrey Metropolitan area. It is a contemporary commercial suburb of the larger metropolitan c ...
,
Nuevo León Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...
) became the first female municipal president. Until the 1980s, the PAN was a weak opposition party that was considered pro-Catholic and pro-business, but never garnered many votes. Its strength, however, was that it was pro-democracy and pro-rule of law, so that its political profile was in contrast to the dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) that was widely and increasingly seen as corrupt. The PAN came to be viewed as viable opposition party for a wider range of voters as it became more secular and as Mexicans increasingly moved to cities. As the PAN increasingly called for end of fraud in Mexican elections, it appealed to a wider range of people. In 1988, the newly created Assembly of Representatives of the Federal District had, for the first time, members of the PAN. In 1989,
Ernesto Ruffo Appel Ernesto Ruffo Appel (born 25 June 1952) is a Mexican politician, who served as the 10th Governor of Baja California from 1989 to 1995. A member of the National Action Party (PAN), Ruffo was the first state governor not affiliated with the ruling ...
(Baja California) became the first opposition governor. Two years later, his future successor in the Baja California government,
Héctor Terán Terán Héctor Téran Terán (April 3, 1931 – October 4, 1998) was a Mexican politician, member of the National Action Party (PAN), and governor of the state of Baja California. Héctor Terán Terán received his degree in Large Business Admini ...
, became the first federal senator from the PAN. From 1992 to 2000, PAN candidates won the elections for governorships in
Guanajuato Guanajuato (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato), is one of the 32 states that make up the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 46 municipalities and its capital city i ...
, Chihuahua,
Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...
,
Querétaro Querétaro (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro, links=no; Otomi language, Otomi: ''Hyodi Ndämxei''), is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. I ...
,
Nuevo León Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...
,
Aguascalientes Aguascalientes (; ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Aguascalientes ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Aguascalientes), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. At 22°N and ...
,
Yucatán Yucatán (, also , , ; yua, Yúukatan ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán,; yua, link=no, Xóot' Noj Lu'umil Yúukatan. is one of the 31 states which comprise the political divisions of Mexico, federal entities of Mexico. I ...
and
Morelos Morelos (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Morelos ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Morelos), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 36 municipalities and its capital city is Cuer ...
.


21st century


Electoral victory for the presidency, 2000

In the 2000 presidential elections, the candidate of the '' Alianza por el Cambio'' ("Alliance for Change"), formed by the PAN and the
Ecologist Green Party of Mexico The Ecological Green Party of Mexico ( es, Partido Verde Ecologista de México, , PVEM or PVE) is a green-conservative political party in Mexico. In the 2012 legislative elections, the party took 34 seats in the Chamber of Deputies (out of 500 ...
(PVEM),
Vicente Fox Quesada Vicente Fox Quesada (; born 2 July 1942) is a Mexican businessman and politician who served as the 62nd president of Mexico from 1 December 2000 to 30 November 2006. After campaigning as a right-wing populist, Fox was elected president on the ...
won 42.5% of the popular vote and was elected
president of Mexico The president of Mexico ( es, link=no, Presidente de México), officially the president of the United Mexican States ( es, link=no, Presidente de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos), is the head of state and head of government of Mexico. Under the Co ...
. Fox was the first opposition candidate to defeat the candidate of the
Institutional Revolutionary Party The Institutional Revolutionary Party ( es, Partido Revolucionario Institucional, ; abbr. PRI) is a political party in Mexico that was founded in 1929 and held uninterrupted power in the country for 71 years, from 1929 to 2000, first as the Nati ...
(PRI) and its precursors after 71 years. It was a significant victory not only for the PAN, but Mexican democracy. In the senate elections of the same date, the Alliance won 46 out of 128 seats in the Senate. The Alliance broke off the following year and the PVEM has since participated together with the PRI in most elections. In the 2003 mid-term elections, the party won 30.74% of the popular vote and 153 out of 500 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. In 2003, the PAN lost the governorship of
Nuevo León Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...
to the PRI and, the following year, failed to win back the state of Chihuahua from the PRI. Coupled with a bitterly fought election in
Colima Colima (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Colima), is one of the 31 states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and ...
that was cancelled and later re-run, these developments were interpreted by some political analysts to be a significant rejection of the PAN in advance of the 2006 presidential election. In contrast, 2004 did see the PAN win for the first time in
Tlaxcala Tlaxcala (; , ; from nah, Tlaxcallān ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tlaxcala ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tlaxcala), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 60 municipaliti ...
, in a state that would not normally be considered PAN territory, although its candidate was a member of the PRI until a few months before the elections. It also managed to hold on to
Querétaro Querétaro (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro, links=no; Otomi language, Otomi: ''Hyodi Ndämxei''), is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. I ...
(by a mere 3% margin against the PRI) and
Aguascalientes Aguascalientes (; ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Aguascalientes ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Aguascalientes), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. At 22°N and ...
(although in 2007, it lost most of the municipalities and the local Congress to the PRI). However, in 2005 the PAN lost the elections for the state government of
Mexico State The State of Mexico ( es, Estado de México; ), officially just Mexico ( es, México), is one of the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Commonly known as Edomex (from ) to distinguish it from th ...
and
Nayarit Nayarit (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nayarit ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit), is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its ...
to the PRI. The former was considered one of the most important elections in the country because of the number of voters involved, which is higher than the elections for head of government of the
Federal District A federal district is a type of administrative division of a federation, usually under the direct control of a federal government and organized sometimes with a single municipal body. Federal districts often include capital districts, and they e ...
. (See: 2003 Mexican elections, 2004 Mexican elections and 2005 Mexican elections for results.) Significantly in the 2006 presidential election in 2006, the PAN candidate
Felipe Calderón Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa (; born 18 August 1962) is a Mexican politician who served as the 63rd president of Mexico from 1 December 2006 to 30 November 2012 and Secretary of Energy during the presidency of Vicente Fox between 2003 a ...
was elected to succeed Vicente Fox. Calderón was the son of one of the founders of the PAN, and was himself a former party president. He was selected as the PAN's candidate, after beating his opponents
Santiago Creel Santiago Creel Miranda (; born on 11 December 1954) is a Mexican lawyer and politician, who's a member of the National Action Party. Since September 1, 2021, he is a federal deputy and the current President of the Congress of the Union and of t ...
(
Secretary of the Interior Secretary of the Interior may refer to: * Secretary of the Interior (Mexico) * Interior Secretary of Pakistan * Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (Philippines) * United States Secretary of the Interior See also

*Interior ministry ...
during Fox's term) and
Alberto Cárdenas Alberto Cárdenas Jiménez (born April 4, 1958) is a Mexican politician affiliated with the conservative National Action Party (PAN). He is a former governor of Jalisco, (1995 – 2001). And Secretary of Agriculture in the cabinet of Felipe C ...
(former
governor of Jalisco The following is a list of governors of the Mexican state of Jalisco from 1821. The current Constitution indicates a term six years in length, which cannot be renewed under any circumstances. It also stipulates the qualifications for becoming g ...
) in every voting round in the party primaries. On July 2, 2006, Felipe Calderón secured a plurality of the votes cast. Finishing less than one percent behind was
Andrés Manuel López Obrador Andrés Manuel López Obrador (; born 13 November 1953), also known by his initials AMLO, is a Mexican politician who has been serving as the 65th president of Mexico since 1 December 2018. He previously served as Head of Government of Mexico ...
, who challenged the results of the election on possible grounds of electoral fraud. In addition to the presidency, the PAN won 206 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 52 in the Senate, securing it the largest single party blocs in both houses. In 2007, the PAN lost the governorship and the majority in the state congress of Yucatán to the PRI as well as the municipal presidency of
Aguascalientes Aguascalientes (; ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Aguascalientes ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Aguascalientes), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. At 22°N and ...
, but kept both the governorship and the majority in the state congress of Baja California. The PRI also obtained more municipal presidents and local congresspeople in Chihuahua, Durango, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Chiapas and Oaxaca. The PRD obtained more posts than the PAN in Zacatecas, Chiapas and Oaxaca. In 2009, the PAN held 33 seats in the Senate and 142 seats in the Chamber of deputies.


Return of the PRI to presidency

In 2012, the PAN lost the Presidential Election to
Enrique Peña Nieto Enrique Peña Nieto (; born 20 July 1966), commonly referred to by his initials EPN, is a Mexican politician who served as the 64th president of Mexico from 1 December 2012 to 30 November 2018. A member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party ...
of the PRI. They also won 38 seats in the Senate (a gain of 3 seats), and 114 seats in the Chamber of Deputies (a loss of 28 seats). The government of president of Mexico Enrique Peña Nieto (EPN) has faced multiple scandals, and allegations of corruption. Reforma who has run surveys of presidential approval since 1995, revealed EPN had received a mere 12% approval rating, the lowest since they started to survey for presidential approval.


Ideology

The PAN has been linked to a
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
stance in Mexican politics since its inception, but the party does not consider itself a fundamentally conservative party. The party ideology, at least in principle, is that of "National Action" which rejects a fundamental adherence to left- or right-wing politics or policies, instead requiring the adoption of such policies as correspond to the problems faced by the nation at any given moment. Thus both right- and left-wing policies may be considered equally carefully in formulation of national policy. This theory of National Action politics, rejecting a fundamental adherence to right or left, is held within a strongly Christian context, and falls under the umbrella of
Christian democracy Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...
. The party theory was largely developed by early figures such as Gómez Morín and his associates. However, some observers consider the PAN claim to National Action politics to be weakened by the apparent persistent predominance of conservatism in PAN policy in practice. The PAN has similarities with
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and
Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
's
Christian democratic Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...
parties.


Economic policies

The PAN currently occupies the
right Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, ethical principles of Liberty, freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convent ...
of Mexico's political spectrum, advocating
free enterprise In economics, a free market is an economic system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of government or any ...
,
pragmatism Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition that considers words and thought as tools and instruments for prediction, problem solving, and action, and rejects the idea that the function of thought is to describe, represent, or mirror reality. ...
,
small government Libertarian conservatism, also referred to as conservative libertarianism and conservatarianism, is a political and social philosophy that combines conservatism and libertarianism, representing the libertarian wing of conservatism and vice ver ...
,
privatization Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...
and
libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...
reforms as well. The PAN is a member of the Christian Democrat Organization of America. In general, PAN claims to support free enterprise and thus
free trade agreement A free-trade agreement (FTA) or treaty is an agreement according to international law to form a free-trade area between the cooperating states. There are two types of trade agreements: bilateral and multilateral. Bilateral trade agreements occur ...
s.


Social policies


Abortion

Carlos Abascal Carlos María Abascal Carranza (June 14, 1949 – December 2, 2008) was a Mexican lawyer and the Secretary of the Interior in the cabinet of Vicente Fox. He is the son of the writer Salvador Abascal, famous for his synarchist ideas. Biograp ...
, secretary of the interior in the latter part of the
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
administration, called
emergency contraception Emergency contraception (EC) is a birth control measure, used after sexual intercourse to prevent pregnancy. There are different forms of EC. Emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs), sometimes simply referred to as emergency contraceptives (ECs), o ...
a "
weapon of mass destruction A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to numerous individuals or cause great damage to artificial structures (e.g., buildings), natura ...
" in July 2005. It was during Fox's term, however, that the "morning-after" pill was legalized, even though the
Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...
had condemned the use of these kind of pills, calling them "abortion pills". The PAN produced a television spot against state-financed abortion, one that features popular comedian Chespirito (who was also featured on a TV spot promoting Vicente Fox in the 2000 presidential elections) and a second one that accuses the PRI and PRD of wanting to kill the unborn. After the abortion bill, which made abortion available, anonymous, and free or government-paid, was approved at the local legislature, the PAN requested the Human Rights Commission of the
Federal District A federal district is a type of administrative division of a federation, usually under the direct control of a federal government and organized sometimes with a single municipal body. Federal districts often include capital districts, and they e ...
(CDHDF) to enact actions on the unconstitutionality of the measure, the CDHDF rejected the request as it found no basis of unconstitutionality. After unsuccessfully appealing to unconstitutionality, the PAN declared that it may request the remotion of Emilio Álvarez Icaza, the president of the Human Rights Commission of the Federal District, for his lack of moral quality. The PAN, with the members of the Association of Catholic Lawyers, gathered signatures and turned them in to the Federal District Electoral Institute (IEDF) to void the abortion bill and force a referendum, which was also rejected by the IEDF. In May 2007, the PAN started a campaign to encourage rejections to perform abortion amongst doctors in the Federal District based on conscience.


Opposition to same-sex unions in Mexico

The PAN has opposed measures to establish civil unions in Mexico City and
Coahuila Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico. Coahuila borders the Mexican states of N ...
. On November 9, 2006, the government of the
Federal District A federal district is a type of administrative division of a federation, usually under the direct control of a federal government and organized sometimes with a single municipal body. Federal districts often include capital districts, and they e ...
approved the first law establishing civil unions in Mexico. The members of the PAN, and a member of New Alliance were the only legislators that voted against it. The same year, the local legislature of
Coahuila Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico. Coahuila borders the Mexican states of N ...
approved the law of civil unions to which the PAN also opposed. The PAN also lodged an unconstitutionality plea before the Supreme Court of Justice of the State of Coahuila, alleging that the constitution has vowed to protect the institution of the family. Guillermo Bustamente Manilla, a member of the PAN and the president of the National Parents Union (UNPF) is the father of Guillermo Bustamante Artasánchez, a law director of the
Secretary of the Interior Secretary of the Interior may refer to: * Secretary of the Interior (Mexico) * Interior Secretary of Pakistan * Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (Philippines) * United States Secretary of the Interior See also

*Interior ministry ...
, Carlos Abascal, during Fox's presidency and worked in the Calderón administration against abortion and same-sex civil unions. He called the latter as "anti-natural." He has publicly asked voters not to cast votes for "abortionist" parties and those who are in favor of homosexual relationships.


Party Presidents

*
Manuel Gómez Morín Manuel Gómez Morín (27 February 1897 – 19 April 1972) was a Mexican politician. He was a founding member of the National Action Party, and one of its theoreticians. Prior to this he was considered a leading figure in Mexican monetary policy, ...
1939-1949 *Juan Gutiérrez Lascuráin 1949-1956 *Alfonso Ituarte Servín 1956-1958 *José González Torres 1958-1962 * Adolfo Christlieb Ibarrola 1962-1968 *Ignacio Limón Maurer 1968-1969 *Manuel González Hinojosa 1969-1972 *José Ángel Conchelo Dávila 1972-1975 *Efraín González Morfín 19751 *Raúl González Schmall 1975 ''(interim)'' *Manuel González Hinojosa 1975-1978 *Avel Vicencio Tovar 1978-1984 * Pablo Emilio Madero 1984-1987 * Luis H. Álvarez 1987-1993 *
Carlos Castillo Peraza Carlos Enrique Castillo Peraza (Mérida, Yucatán, April 17, 1947 – Bonn, Germany, September 8, 2000) was an intellectual, journalist and Mexican politician, member of the National Action Party (PAN) of which he was the 15th President from 19 ...
1993-1996 *
Felipe Calderón Hinojosa Felipe is the Spanish variant of the name Philip, which derives from the Greek adjective ''Philippos'' "friend of horses". Felipe is also widely used in Portuguese-speaking Brazil alongside Filipe, the form commonly used in Portugal. Noteworthy p ...
1996-1999 *
Luis Felipe Bravo Mena Luis Felipe Bravo Mena (born September 28, 1952 in León, Guanajuato) is a Mexican politician. He was elected as the 17th president of the National Action Party (PAN) and current Mexican ambassador to the Vatican City. Bravo is the son of Luis ...
1999-2005 *
Manuel Espino Barrientos Manuel Espino Barrientos (born 29 November 1959) is a Mexican politician affiliated to Movimiento Ciudadano. He is a Chamber of Deputies (Mexico), federal deputy to the LXIII Legislature of the Mexican Congress from the fifth electoral region. Esp ...
2005-2007 * Germán Martínez Cázares 2007-2009 *César Nava Vázquez 2009-2010 *
Gustavo Madero Muñoz Gustavo Enrique Madero Muñoz (born 16 December 1955) is a Mexican politician and businessman, great-nephew of the president Francisco I. Madero. He will serve as a senator in the LXIV Legislature of the Mexican Congress after previously being ...
2010-2014 *Cecilia Romero Castillo 2014 *
Ricardo Anaya Cortés Ricardo Anaya Cortés (Spanish: iˈkaɾðo anˈaʝa koɾˈtes born 25 February 1979) is a Mexican lawyer and politician, and a member and former president of the centre-right National Action Party (PAN). He held the positions of Federal Dep ...
2014–2015 *
Gustavo Madero Muñoz Gustavo Enrique Madero Muñoz (born 16 December 1955) is a Mexican politician and businessman, great-nephew of the president Francisco I. Madero. He will serve as a senator in the LXIV Legislature of the Mexican Congress after previously being ...
2015 *
Ricardo Anaya Cortés Ricardo Anaya Cortés (Spanish: iˈkaɾðo anˈaʝa koɾˈtes born 25 February 1979) is a Mexican lawyer and politician, and a member and former president of the centre-right National Action Party (PAN). He held the positions of Federal Dep ...
2015–20171 *
Damián Zepeda Vidales Damián Zepeda Vidales (born 17 November 1978) is a Mexican politician affiliated with the PAN. As of 2013 he served as Deputy of the LXII Legislature of the Mexican Congress The LXII Legislature of the Congress of Mexico met from September ...
2017-2018 * Marcelo Torres Cofiño 2018 *
Marko Antonio Cortés Mendoza Marko Antonio Cortés Mendoza (born 17 October 1977 in Zamora, Michoacán) is a Mexican politician affiliated with the National Action Party (Mexico), National Action Party (PAN). He currently serves in the Chamber of Deputies (Mexico), Chamber ...
2018–present ''1.- Resigned to run for president ''


Electoral history


Presidential elections


Congressional elections

Note: Only elections where the party won seats are listed.


Chamber of Deputies


Senate elections


Bibliography

*Chand, Vikram K. ''Mexico's Political Awakening'', Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press 2001. *Espinosa, David. ''Jesuit Student Groups, the Universidad Iberoamericana, and Political Resistance in Mexico.'' Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press 2014. * Loaeza, Soledad. ''El Partido de Acción Nacional: La larga marcha, 1939-1994: Oposición leal y partido de protesta.'' Mexico: Fondo de Cultura Económico 1999. *Loaeza, Soledad. "Partido de Acción Nacional." In ''Encyclopedia of Mexico'', vol. 2, pp. 1048–1052. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn 1997. *Mabry, Donald J. ''Mexico's Acción Nacional: A Catholic Alternative to Revolution''. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press 1973. *Nuncio, Abraham. ''El PAN: Alternativa de poder o instrumento de la oligarquía empresarial.'' Mexico: Editorial Nuevo Imagen 1986. *Shirk, David A. "Mexico's New Politics: The PAN and Democratic Change" Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers 2005. *Von Sauer, Franz A. ''The Alienated "Loyal" Opposition: Mexico's Partido de Acción Nacional.'' Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press 1974. *Ward, Peter. "Policy Making and Policy Implementation among Non-PRI Government: The PAN in Ciudad Juárez and in Chihuahua." In Victoria E. Rodríguez and Peter M. Ward, ''Opposition Government in Mexico'' pp. 135–52. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press 1995.


See also

* National Action Party Jalisco *
History of democracy in Mexico The history of democracy in Mexico dates to the establishment of the federal republic of Mexico in 1824. After a long history under the Spanish Empire (1521–1821), Mexico gained its independence in 1821 and became the First Mexican Empire l ...
*
List of political parties in Mexico This article lists political parties in Mexico. Mexico has a multi-party system, which means that there are more than two dominant political parties. Nationally, the three main political parties are the , the , and the . Other political parties ...


References


External links


Official website of the National Action Party
{{Authority control Political parties in Mexico Right-wing parties in Mexico