Roberto Madrazo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roberto Madrazo
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Madrazo in 2004
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| Governor of Tabasco | |
| In office January 1, 1995 – December 31, 2000 |
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| Preceded by | Víctor Manuel Barceló |
| Succeeded by | Enrique Priego Oropeza |
| Member of the Congress of the Union for the 2nd district of Tabasco |
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| In office September 1, 1976 – August 31, 1979 |
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| Preceded by | Humberto Hernández Haddad |
| Succeeded by | Ángel Mario Martínez Zentella |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Roberto Madrazo Pintado
July 30, 1952 Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico |
| Political party | Institutional Revolutionary Party |
| Spouse |
Isabel de la Parra
(m. 1982) |
| Education | National Autonomous University of Mexico University of California at Los Angeles |
Roberto Madrazo Pintado (born July 30, 1952) is a Mexican politician. He is a member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, often called PRI. He ran for president of Mexico in 2006. Before that, he was the Governor of Tabasco from 1995 to 2000.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Roberto Madrazo was born in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. His parents were Carlos A. Madrazo and Graciela Pintado Jiménez. His father was a politician who wanted to make changes when the PRI was the only major political party. When Roberto was sixteen, both of his parents died in a plane crash.
Even though his father came from a simple background, his good reputation helped Roberto become part of Mexico's important families. Roberto studied law at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City. He also studied urban planning at the University of California at Los Angeles.
Political Career
Early Roles
From 1976 to 1988, Roberto Madrazo represented his home state of Tabasco in Mexico's national government. He served in both the Chamber of Deputies (like the House of Representatives) and the Senate.
He later became the governor of Tabasco from 1994 to 2000. As governor, Madrazo was known for being a "populist" politician. This means he often supported the interests of ordinary people. He also worked to help the economy grow in Tabasco.
Presidential Election
In 2000, Madrazo wanted to be the PRI's candidate for president. However, he lost to Francisco Labastida. Madrazo felt that the current president, Ernesto Zedillo, had chosen Labastida to be the next candidate. This way of choosing a candidate was known as the dedazo, which means "the finger." It was a tradition where the president would pick his successor.
Madrazo ran a strong campaign against this tradition. He even used a play on words with his last name: "Dale un Madrazo al dedazo." A "madrazo" in Mexican Spanish can mean a strong hit. So, it meant "give a blow to the dedazo." He wanted to end this old way of choosing leaders.
The PRI held an election where regular voters could choose the candidate, which was new. Labastida won this election. Madrazo accepted the results. However, his strong campaign against Labastida may have made Labastida's chances weaker in the main election. In 2000, the PRI lost the presidential election for the first time ever. The winner was Vicente Fox Quesada from the National Action Party (PAN).
After this historic loss, the PRI faced a difficult time. But Madrazo, as a party leader, helped keep the party strong. He used the party's existing structure to win elections, especially in his home state of Tabasco. This helped the party stay united.
Leading the PRI Party
Roberto Madrazo is often given credit for bringing the PRI back together after they lost the 2000 presidential election. He worked with different groups within the party and managed to unite them.
In 2002, Madrazo ran to become the leader of the PRI party. He teamed up with Elba Esther Gordillo, who was a powerful leader of a teachers' union. Together, they won against their opponent, Senator Beatriz Paredes. After this election, Gordillo and Madrazo became political rivals.
Presidential Campaign
As the national leader of the PRI, Madrazo had an advantage when he ran for president in 2006. Other potential candidates in the PRI were not happy and wanted clear rules for the campaign. Many state governors who were part of the PRI formed a group called Democratic Unity. People nicknamed them TUCOM, which stood for "Todos Unidos Contra Madrazo" (All United Against Madrazo). They chose Arturo Montiel as their candidate.
In the primary elections, Madrazo, Montiel, and another person competed. Montiel later stepped down. This meant Madrazo became the PRI's candidate for president.
Madrazo then formed an alliance with the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico (PVEM). In the 2006 election, he faced Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who was a former mayor of Mexico City. López Obrador had also lost to Madrazo in the Tabasco governor's election in 1994. Another main candidate was Felipe Calderón from the PAN party.
Elba Esther Gordillo, Madrazo's former ally, created a new political party called Partido Nueva Alianza. This party was formed to oppose Madrazo in his run for president. She believed Madrazo was not the right person to be Mexico's president.
On July 3, 2006, Madrazo and his party accepted that they had lost the presidential election. He received about 22% of the votes. This was the lowest result for the PRI in a presidential election at that time.
Personal Life
Roberto Madrazo is married to Isabel de la Parra Trillo.
See also
In Spanish: Roberto Madrazo Pintado para niños
