Weekly Report - 9 December 2003

The Madrazo-Gordillo split in the PRI has been interpreted by some local commentators as the first real round in the battle for the PRI's presidential nomination for the elections due in 2006. What happened on 7 December within the ranks of the leftist Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD) does not require interpretation: it was the launch of the presidential bid of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, mayor of Mexico city and the man opinion polls currently give the highest probability of winning.