Leading Man

A candidate who could not lose

"I accept with emotion and responsibility the commitments that this mandate signifies. Mexico won, the revolution won. The P.R.I, won." With those words, Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado, 47, acknowledged what had long been a foregone conclusion. With three-quarters of the nation's polling booths reported, De la Madrid had received 14.3 million votes, some 74% of those cast, far outdistancing his six opponents in last week's presidential election.

As the candidate of Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party (P.R.I..) and the choice of retiring President Jose Lopez Portillo, De la Madrid had been certain to win. Reaction to the vote ranged from skepticism to cautious optimism. Said former President Miguel Aleman Valdes: "The country is at peace. There are problems naturally, but we have the confidence that they will be resolved by the next administration."

Pablo Emilio Madero, candidate of the conservative National Action Party (PAN), came in second with 14% of the vote, a result that had also been expected. Despite a sizable showing by the Marxist Unified Socialist Party of Mexico (P.S.U.M.) at an election rally three weeks ago, its candidate, Arnoldo Martinez Verdugo, was a distant third, with 5.8% of the vote. Of the seven parties represented in the race, only the Authentic Party of the Mexican Revolution (P.A.R.M.) and the Social Democrat Party (P.S.D.) failed to win the 1.5% of the vote required to register as a political party. The one real surprise in the election was that so many people voted. Despite fears of a low voter turnout, approximately 77% of Mexico's 31.6 million registered voters cast ballots. The relatively high level of voter participation is mainly credited to vigorous efforts of all parties to get their supporters to the ballot box. Said Fernando Marina Janet, president of the Mexico City Chamber of Commerce: "By voting, [the people] decided to continue along the democratic path."

Until he formally assumes office on Dec. 1, De la Madrid is expected to keep a low profile as he prepares a plan to deal with Mexico's growing problems, including oil-boom inflation (currently running at an annual rate of 60%), widespread poverty and rampant corruption. Meanwhile, the President-elect is preparing to address another important subject in the fall, when, according to sources in Mexico, he will meet with President Ronald Reagan.

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