Miguel de la Madrid (Napoleon's World)

Miguel de la Madrid (December 12, 1934 - April 1, 2012) was a Mexican PR politician who served as the 17th Prime Minister of Mexico from 1982 to 1990. At just under eight years, his Ministry was the second-longest in Mexican history up until that time. De la Madrid was a skilled campaigner and politician who led the PR to commanding majority victories in the 1983 and 1987 elections after the party was forced to govern in a coalition in the 1970s with the Socialists. De la Madrid, secure after the 1983 elections, instituted controversial market reforms and openly sought closer relationships with the United States, which were strained in the early 1980s over public opposition to American military bases in the Yucatan being used for operations in Brazil as well as various incidents along the border, most notably the 1980 Agua Prieta incident.

De la Madrid sparred with many leftist members of his party, many of whom threatened to defect to the Socialists and form a new government as a result. De la Madrid alienated much of his base by instituting constitutional reforms that strengthened electoral mandates by raising the threshold for the no-confidence vote with a broad, multipartisan majority and banned Members of Congress from switching parties mid-term. Due to his constant sparring with senior party officials from the party's left wing, he groomed fellow centrist Luis Donaldo Colosio to take the reigns upon his retirement in 1990, bitterly dividing the party in the ensuing leadership debate. Due to the impotence of the Socialists and Conservatives, now both rivals of the weak incumbent party, the PR was able to survive the Colosio-led 1991 elections and de la Madrid retired instead of contest his seat.