Partido de Acción Nacional/National Action Party (PAN)
A center-right party, the PAN was founded in 1939 and was long considered the “loyal opposition” to Mexico’s long-ruling PRI. Though it was tolerated along with other opposition parties throughout the PRI’s 71 years in power, the PAN was never permitted to win a significant election until its first gubernatorial win in 1989. The PAN became the first party to defeat the PRI and break its strangle-hold on the presidency in 2000 with Vicente Fox as their candidate. Fox, a relative party outsider with a successful career as CEO of Coca-Cola, The PAN won again in a tight election in 2006 with the current President Felipe Calderón.
Presently, the PAN holds eight state governorships and 28.2 percent of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies (147 out of 500) and 39.1 percent of the Senate (50 of the 128 seats).
The Mexico Institute's Elections Guide 