Continuity shot of Alejandro’s office Alito Moreno Cárdenas (Campeche, 50), is dominated by images of all sizes of himself as leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, a position he held for six years. A portrait of Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta, the historic presidential candidate of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, who was killed during the election campaign for the presidency of Mexico in 1994, is in front of his desk. The assassination was the first major blow before the catastrophe of the political group that had ruled Mexico without interruption for 70 years. Today the PRI has been reduced to its minimum expression. Through its role as the opposition, the party occupies a prominent place on the political map of Mexico. Alito suggests a selfie there. He says: “He is the real Luis Donaldo Colosio, and the other (his son with the same name) is a fake.”
The Institutional Revolutionary Party receives EL PAÍS at the National Headquarters. Election dates have been brought forward prematurely. The Institutional Revolutionary Symbols movement has been placed in the middle of a divorce with PAN. This announcement doesn’t keep Alito Moreno, as he is known, awake at night. He doubts the possibility of completing the separation. “In politics, doors are never closed,” he responds to the break with the Blue and White party and electoral coalitions. The resistance to national unity in the United States supports it. “How are they going to compete in Chihuahua, in Nuevo León?” He asks in that characteristic sarcastic tone.
He refuses to confirm whether the PRI will go it alone in the midterms, the pulse of the 2030 presidential election. The leader insists on calling for the formation of a large opposition bloc between the PAN, the PRI and the CPC, although he has reserved many disqualifications for the latter. “These citizens’ movement members are cynics and scoundrels who are only doing Morena’s work,” he said. Times of institutional revolution are not the best; However, Alito calls himself an optimist, maintains victory rhetoric and insists that the PRI is immortal. Contrary to death expectations, the controversial leader expects the party to occupy the presidential seat again.
I ask. Did the separation from the National Action Party lead to the postponement of the election date?
answer. These are the right times for each party to take action. The Institutional Revolutionary Party was a coalition party. Alliances are here to stay. We must ask the PAN how they will compete in Chihuahua or Nuevo León, in the capitals that we won as a coalition… It is a contradiction. I can’t accept Who want to blame PRI. Morena got Ban’s face dirty. They are told every day that they are members of Genaro García Luna, of the real estate cartel, that they are thieves and corrupt… He is ungrateful and disloyal. We cannot have national leaders of parties that call themselves opposition parties afraid to death. They have two or three convulsions, point at them and run away.
S. Do you think the PAN’s decision to break away from the PRI, at least in rhetoric, is due to government pressure from the real estate cartel?
R. What it seems, then it turns out. I told my colleagues at PAN, if you have nothing to hide, have character, determination and will. We will also see them with the repeal of the mandate. All that would be needed is for lawmakers from the National Action Party and the Communist Party to vote to repeal the mandate. The Institutional Revolutionary Party will vote against.
S. Did the National Action Party betray the Institutional Revolutionary Party with this declaration?
R. You can’t break something that isn’t put together. We are in the era, in the processes. You don’t just have to look at the context, the messages, and the words. Why do we always promote the alliance call? Because it makes us more competitive. By going separately they will lose all the positions they have. We do not beg or ask anything from anyone. In their own countries they will have to decide. In politics, doors are never closed.
S. What do you say to PAN members who consider that the alliance with the PRI was a mistake that left them in a negative state?
R. We have to ask them how we won the governorship. You have to be serious.
S. Before the relaunch of PAN, was there any contact from Jorge Romero to inform you of the announcement?
R. With Jorge Romero, I have institutional respect. He will have to take responsibility. He will have to explain to his hardliners how they will win governors and mayors alone.
S. What awaits the PRI alone in 2027?
R. Grow as a party. It’s not an easy challenge, but we will face it and we will do well. We will participate and compete in the 17 states. If we go separately to Queretaro, or to Aguascalientes, or to Chihuahua, or to Sinaloa, or to Sonora, we will reach everything (to PAN). The PRI will always work to build a coalition. The invitation will be to Mexico. Add PRI members, PAN members and Emecists. Tour the country together. If an agreement is not reached on the day the coalitions are registered, we will participate alone, but there are many votes in the states. They don’t do us any favors, and neither do we.
S. And leave the victory speech?
R. We are in the opposition, and there is no victory speech. In the electoral process we will go for our votes.
S. Do you see successes in government?
R. no one. The only success they can achieve is to call for dialogue and agreement for the sake of our country.
S. Did the Institutional Revolutionary Party envision an alliance with another party? With the citizens’ movement?
R. Movimiento Ciudadano is a satellite of Morena. We have to form a large bloc of opposition parties, and add social organizations, all to defeat the ruling party. The scenario for achieving good electoral results is the formation of a large coalition. On our own, we can grow as parties, but it will be difficult to have spaces for political participation. Together we could have at least 90 districts, and this allows Morena not to have a qualified majority.
S. What did the Institutional Revolutionary Party do wrong?
R. I have always said that we must assume our responsibility as leaders. But to say that states were lost because of me is false. In 2012, we won the national vote by 38%. In 2018, we scored between 14 and 15 points in the presidential elections. More than 15 points were lost. I came to the PRI in 2019. In the 2021 midterm elections, we went from 15 points to 18 points. In 2024, we lost six points. I’m not saying it’s the best, but we fought the battle. Governors’ mandates were lost because of corrupt and impudent rulers who were from the Institutional Revolutionary Party.
S. Did the United States extradite Morena?
R. They surrendered and betrayed the struggle of the Institutional Revolutionary Party. Now they are ambassadors in Morena, the garbage dump of national politics. The PRI members, the rats, the corrupt, the fearful, the hypocrites, are in Morena. It is paying the bill for treason and impunity. People are disappointed by the lack of medicines and lack of access to health care; Roads were destroyed and the countryside was abandoned.
S. Is it worse than the PRI in Morena?
R. No, because they are no longer in the PRI.
S. But they were members of the Islamic Revolutionary Party…
R. They are currently located in Morena.
S. The origin of his wealth is in question and it does not correspond to the income of a public employee. How did you sleep so much?
R. My assets are public, legitimate and legal. I have clean hands. They are urban legends.
S. To what do you attribute the freeze in the process of removing them?
R. This is not my topic. They have no evidence, no element, it is not believable. They don’t have a mother.
S. Is there a non-aggression pact between you and Morena?
R. There is no agreement on anything. I can face them because I have nothing to hide. I do not have construction companies or companies. The government looked for me down to the ground. I love traveling and learning…that’s what I work for. If I met someone and they said something to me, I would send them to hell. I can do what I want with what I earn. And when they say, “Alito has security,” of course I have a lot of security, because they want to kill me. I have an armored truck and that doesn’t matter to me.
S. Have you received death threats?
R. It is permanent. They call me on my cell phone and ask me not to testify.
S. Are they asking you not to declare? Against whom?
R. Against the government, against organized crime.
R. Will we ever see Alejandro Moreno leave the country due to some accusations?
R. They’ve been chasing me for seven years. I leave the country a lot, but I come back.
S. What is your response to people, including PRI members, who expect 2030 to be the final nail in the PRI’s coffin?
R. I’ve heard that for three decades. It may seem very immodest, but the Institutional Revolutionary Party is immortal. We have about 12% with closed numbers. We will win again, I have no doubt.
S. Do you think they will return to power?
R. Mexico needs us to actually be in government. The first step is 2027. We are immortal because we build institutions. The three colors are fixed. Our colors range well. We have to improve many things and, without a doubt, admit the mistakes we have made. They can say many things, but here we are.
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