PRI’s Future: Former Governor Says Party Isn’t Over

Chetumal — Nearly a decade after the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) ceased to govern Quintana Roo and declined to become the fourth political force, former Governor Félix González Canto rejected the notion that the party is at risk of disappearing or losing its official registration.

Despite a significant political collapse, a lack of participation, and no longer even figuring as an opposition force, PRI members still hold hope for a resurgence. González Canto acknowledged that the party has not formed new political cadres because members are leaving for the "party of the moment."

"There is not much movement within my party right now because evidently the current electoral preference, both in the country and in the state, is for Morena. Therefore, political actors are leaning towards them and also towards the Green Party," González Canto stated. "We do not have those new, renewed figures because the young person who wants to participate sees the path is through the party in government, and they go that route. Let's hope we do not lose our registration because circumstances are such that those in government are undergoing a change."

González Canto highlighted that the return of Cora Amalia Castilla Madrid to the state leadership of the tricolor party for a second time could represent a new opportunity to re-enter the political scene. He opined that the PRI could focus on generating novel ideas to attract new Quintana Roans who wish to enter politics or to recover sympathizers and affiliates.

He also asserted that politics is about cycles. Although this is an era where Morena governs all 11 municipalities and holds the majority of local congressional seats, he expressed confidence that the PRI can reposition itself later and continue contributing to the state.

"I believe the PRI can become a new option to attract new Quintana Roans who want to participate in politics. Politics is about cycles," González Canto said. "There are parties that suddenly go up, and then the season passes, the era ends, the person who made that party great leaves, and different times come. Therefore, we must be patient."

He denied that excesses, abuses, corruption, and the plundering of public funds influenced the PRI's current debacle. Instead, he argued that it was the circumstances of remaining in power and in government for so many years that led to an erosion of electoral preference, resulting in the party receiving the third or fourth choice in elections compared to new parties that offer freshness to the citizenry.