ABSTRACT
In the evening of July 2, 2000, and to the surprise of many in his own party, President Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico somberly appeared on national television congratulating the candidate from the National Action Party, Vicente Fox, for having won the presidency and declared his personal commitment to a peaceful transfer of power. The unprecedented announcement astonished television commentators covering the election live as it was based on preliminary results and made before the Federal Electoral Institute declared Fox the official winner. Zedillo’s declaration stirred deep emotions among a great number of Mexicans as it marked the end of seventy-one years of one-party rule. Zedillo fulfilled his promise and, on December 1 of the same year, Fox was invested as President of Mexico, bringing to an end the longest governing authoritarian regime in the world.
