Convergence (political party)

Convergencia (until 2002, Convergence for Democracy) was a Mexican political party, founded as such in 1999 by members of civil society and former members of the PRI and other political forces. On July 31, 2011, in the National Assembly, the militants of the still party, would approve statutory reforms that would allow them to change their name, logo, as well as the structure of the political institute, where it was determined to disappear the figure of the National President and the transformation of the other governing bodies and changing the political structure of the Institute to the Citizen Movement. Stipulating that 50% of their candidacies would be occupied by like-minded citizens. During his active time, he defined himself as a social democratic party.

History

Foundation

Convergence for Democracy applied for registration as a national political group in 1996. It was granted in January 1997

On December 5, 1998, Convergence for Democracy held its constitutive national assembly as a national political party. On August 1, 1999, the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) notified the Convergence leadership that it had formal registration and legal status as a national political party.

The first leadership of the Convergence National Executive Committee (CEN) was headed by Mr. Dante Delgado Rannauro (1999-2002), who was accompanied in the General Secretariat of the party by Mr. Enrique Herrera Bruqueta until 2001.

Electoral processes 2000, 2001 and 2002

In the elections of July 2, 2000, Convergence promoted and joined the Alliance for Mexico, also made up of the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), the Labor Party (PT), the Social Alliance Party (PAS) and the Nationalist Society Party (PSN). The alliance nominated Ing. Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Solórzano as a candidate for the presidency. As a result of these elections, the party obtained a senate, two federal deputies and a local deputy in the Federal District. Also, in alliance with the PRD and the PT, he won the Headship of the Government of the DF.

On the other hand, in the local processes of 2001 and 2002, Convergence won, with citizen profiles, the municipal presidencies of the capitals of the states of Veracruz and Oaxaca.

The Second National Assembly

On August 16, 2002, in the city of Puebla, Pue., Convergence held its second National Assembly, in which it was decided to shorten the name "Convergence for Democracy" to just "Convergence" and to re-elect for three years to the national leadership of the party (2003-2006).

By designation before the National Convergence Council, in July 2003, Dr. Alejandro Chanona was appointed Secretary General.

2003 - 2006

In the federal elections to renew the Chamber of Deputies in 2003, Convergence participated without allying with any political party. He then obtained 605,811 votes, which represented 2.53% of the national vote, thus maintaining his record. As a result, Convergence managed to obtain 5 federal deputies, which allowed it, for the first time, to have a Parliamentary Fraction in the Union Congress. A narrative from those times deals with the alleged murder of Karl Ayala, candidate for municipal president of Cuernavaca.

During the local processes of 2004 and 2005, the party continued to increase its electoral presence throughout the country.

In 2005, he won, in alliance with the PRD and the Party of the Socialist Revolution (PRS), the governorship of the state of Guerrero.

In 2004 there were 405 convergents in popularly elected positions throughout the country, divided as follows: 1 senator, 5 federal deputies (with parliamentary faction status), 24 local deputies, 28 municipal presidents, 32 trustees and 315 aldermen.

At the beginning of 2006, Convergence had a governor in alliance (Chiapas), a senator of the Republic, five federal deputies, 25 local deputies, 29 municipal presidents, 37 trustees and 419 aldermen.

The Third National Assembly

On February 11, 2006 in the city of Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, the Third National Assembly took place in which Luis Maldonado Venegas and Pedro Jiménez León were elected as president and general secretary of Convergence for the period 2006-2010, respectively.

During the Third Assembly, three strategic objectives were established that the new national administration would pursue:

1. Loyalty to social democratic principles.

2. Unity and cohesion of the party.

3. Growth and consolidation of Convergence.

The Federal Electoral Process of 2006

In the federal elections of July 2, 2006, Convergence contributed 3.5 million votes to the coalition “For the Good of All”, also made up of the PRD and the PT. This coalition nominated Andrés Manuel López Obrador as a candidate for the presidency of the Republic.

As a result of the federal electoral process of 2006, Convergence individually obtained the following positions of representation: 5 senators of the Republic and 17 federal deputies. This sum of representation allowed the party to have a Parliamentary Fraction in both Chambers of the Congress of the Union.

Since then, and derived from the fulfillment of the strategic objectives set in motion by the new national administration of Convergence, a Strategic Electoral Program was designed with a view to its application in the electoral processes at the end of 2006, 2007 and 2008.

The Broad Progressive Front

After the July 2006 elections, once the decision of the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary against the presidential triumph of Lic. Andrés Manuel López Obrador was known, and in the terms provided by the Federal Code of Institutions and Electoral Procedures (COFIPE) of that year, Convergence and the other two member parties of the coalition "For the Good of All", signed an agreement to constitute the Broad Progressive Front (FAP), which would be governed under the principles of plurality, solidarity and republican commitment.

The Front, signed on September 27, 2006 and approved by the IFE on October 11 of that same year, was constituted for a period of three years, subject to renewal at the will of the parties. The FAP, as established by COFIPE in 2006, did not assume commitments of an electoral nature; Its main objective was in legislative and government matters. In other words, it undertook to present and/or jointly endorse initiatives and proposals for legislative reform before the Congress of the Union, always safeguarding the autonomy and ideology of each parliamentary group.

2009

With a view to the midterm elections on July 5, 2009, Convergence agreed with the PT to form an electoral coalition called the «Broad Progressive Front Coalition». On December 10, 2009, the coalition agreement was signed and presented by Convergence and the PT to the General Council of the IFE. On December 22, the IFE approved the aforementioned “Progressive Broad Front Coalition” Agreement; however, due to a challenge, the name of said electoral coalition changed to "Coalition for the Good of All, First the Poor". Because this second proposal was rejected before the General Council of the IFE, the third option for the name of the coalition was agreed to be "Save Mexico", a name that was validated by the IFE on January 14, 2009.

In addition, successively, political and social organizations such as the Workers' Party (November 25, 2008); the Popular Socialist Party (November 26, 2008); Civic Movement (December 11, 2008) and the Emiliano Zapata Popular Revolutionary Union (December 16, 2008). In addition, on December 30, 2008, the following political groups signed collaboration agreements with the "Save Mexico" coalition: National Progressive Unity, National Parnaso, National Confederation of Citizens, Professionals for Mexico, Sport and Society in Movement, Citizen Power, and Civic Proposal.

Creation of Citizen Movement

On July 31, 2011, during the third extraordinary national assembly of party members, statutory reforms were approved by which the party ceased to be called Convergence to be called Citizen Movement, including the change logo and its internal structure.

Ideology

Since its origin, Convergence has subscribed as a political ideology to the values and principles of the Renewed Social Democracy, which consist of promoting equality and equity, the protection of the weak, freedom as autonomy, no right without responsibility, no authority without democracy, pluralism and the defense of the fundamental rights of the human being, among others. It also recognizes the need to respect individual freedom and personal choice, striving at all times for social justice for all Mexicans. For Convergence, Social Democracy today represents a political orientation that accepts the free market system as the best way to organize the production of goods and services required to satisfy material needs, but at the same time its fundamental objective is State intervention to ensure that profits and dividends are produced and distributed in a way that ensures a full and fulfilling life for all of society.

Election results

The popularly elected positions in which candidates who are members of the Convergence Party have currently won are the following:

Presidency of Mexico

Year	Candidate		Voting		Percentage	Position	Commentary
2000		Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Solórzano	Coalition (with the name of Convergence)	6 256 780	16.64 %	3.o
2006		Andrés Manuel López Obrador	Coalition (with the name of Convergence)	14 756 350	35.29 %	2.	The party and its coalition accuse electoral fraud.

Senate of the Republic

Election	District		RP		Scalls	Position	Presidency
	votes	%	votes	%
2003	602 392	2.26	605 156	2.26	5/500	Minority	Vicente Fox
2006					17/500	Minority	Felipe Calderón
2009	855.015	2.49			6/500	Minority	Felipe Calderón

Chamber of Deputies

Election	District		RP		Scalls	Position	Presidency
	votes	%	votes	%
2003	602 392	2.26	605 156	2.26	5/500	Minority	Vicente Fox
2006					17/500	Minority	Felipe Calderón
2009	855.015	2.49			6/500	Minority	Felipe Calderón

Governorships and chiefdoms obtained

State	Candidate	Election	Votes	Percentage	Period	In coalition with
Baja California Sur	Narcissus Agundez Montaño	2005	74 102	45.4 %	2005-2011
Chiapas	Pablo Salazar Mendiguchía	2000	525 050	51.7 %	2000-2006
	Juan Sabines Guerrero	2006	553 270	46.98 %	2006-2012
Federal District	Andrés Manuel López Obrador	2000	1 608 372	37.75 %	2000-2006
	Marcelo Ebrard Casaubón	2006	2 213 969	46.3%	2006-2012
Guerrero	Zeferino Torreblanca Galindo	2005	589 074	55.1 %	2005-2011
	Angel Aguirre Rivero	2011	671 012	55.92 %	2011-2015
Michoacán	Lazarus Cardenas Batel	2001	551 340	41.9 %	2001-2007
	Leonel Godoy Rangel	2007	551 340	37.87 %	2007-2011
Puebla	Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas	2010	1 111 318	50.4 %	2010-2016
Sinaloa	Mario López Valdez	2010	576 431	51.8 %	2010-2016
Background color: Candidature in coalition with other party candidatePercentage color: Candidate of the Democratic Revolution PartyCandidate of the National Action Party

Presidents of Convergence

• (1999 - 2006): Dante Delgado Rannauro
• (2006 - 2010): Luis Maldonado Venegas
• (2010 - 2011): Luis Walton Aburto