Partido Accion Nacional (PAN)

The PAN was formed in 1939 by a coalition of liberal and Catholic opponents of the strongly secularist PRI government. The party's religious dimension is ambiguous. It eschews a confessional label and the use of explicit Christian or Catholic symbols in political campaigns. However, it has consistently advocated policies associated with religion, for example calling for constitutional reforms to accommodate a greater public role for churches. Originally a marginal player in Mexican politics, it grew to become the core of conservative opposition to the regime. It first elected representatives to the national legislature in the 1940s, and by the 1980s and 90s it captured important governorships around the country. In 2000, Vicente Fox won the presidency, the first opposition candidate to do so in post-revolutionary Mexico. The party has since consolidated its dominant position at the right of the Mexican spectrum in terms of both economic and social issues. It strongly opposes abortion and civil unions, and considers the defense of the family to be a central element of its platform.