Mexican politician Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas dies at age 92

Mexican politician Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Solórzano died on Wednesday at the age of 92.

Political figures and media outlets in Mexico confirmed the death of a man widely regarded as a foundational figure of the country's left wing.

Cárdenas Solórzano held several major offices during his career. He served as governor of the western state of Michoacán from 1980 to 1986. He later became the first head of government of Mexico City chosen by popular vote, holding that post from 1997 to 1999. He also ran for president three times, in 1988, 1994, and 2000. His 1988 campaign gained national attention following allegations of electoral fraud. He was a co-founder of the Party of the Democratic Revolution, or PRD, in 1989, a move that marked his break from the long-ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party.

President Claudia Sheinbaum announced the news on social media. "With deep sadness, we mourn the death of engineer Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Solórzano, a man of firm principles who transformed the political life of our country," she wrote. She added that his dignity and republican conviction remain an essential reference for the nation. Ricardo Monreal, the coordinator of the ruling Morena party in the Chamber of Deputies, also paid tribute to his friend. "He was an upright man, a democrat of firm convictions, and an indisputable reference of the Mexican left," Monreal said in a post on X. He noted that Cárdenas's example and consistency endure.

Family members have not released official information about the cause of death as of Wednesday. Cárdenas Solórzano was the son of former president Lázaro Cárdenas del Río, who served from 1934 to 1940. He began his political life within the PRI but defined his legacy by leaving that party in the 1980s to lead the Democratic Current. His election to lead Mexico City in 1997 was viewed as a key milestone in the country's democratic transition. His career spanned decades of political change, linking the institutionalization of the left with efforts to open up the national political system.