Unite and conquer
The PRD wins in Guerrero
By T.W. | MEXICO CITY
THE first of Mexico's six elections for state governor in 2011 fell to the left-leaning Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) yesterday. Guerrero, the state on the Pacific coast that is home to Acapulco, voted the party back for another term with a handsome 14% lead on their rivals, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).
A few weeks ago polls had shown the race to be on a knife-edge. The PRI had held high hopes of grabbing Guerrero, which remains poor and has seen more drug-related violence than any state bar Chihuahua and Sinaloa. The decisive factor was the unexpected decision of the third-placed candidate, representing the National Action Party (PAN), to pull out of the race five days before the election and urge his supporters to back the PRD. The victory is a small setback for the PRI, which remains the favourite to take back the presidency next year.
More from Americas view
Business backlash
A weakened Enrique Peña Nieto faces calls to roll back his tax reform
Back to the table
The FARC's kidnapping of a Colombian general last month did not kill the peace process
The new brooms
Dilma Rousseff's new economic team talk about their plans