Former Tlaxcala Governor Alfonso Sánchez Anaya Dies at 85

Alfonso Sánchez Anaya, the first left‑leaning governor of the Mexican state of Tlaxcala, died on 26 July 2026 at the age of 85. He broke the Institutional Revolutionary Party’s (PRI) decades‑long dominance by winning the 1998 election and served as governor from 1999 to 2005, later becoming a federal deputy (1994‑1997) and senator (2006‑2012). Sánchez Anaya was a founder of the Coordinating National Governors’ Program (Conago) and a member of the Morena party after leaving the PRI.

His son, Alfonso Sánchez García, confirmed the death and recalled his father’s dedication to public service, describing him as a “reference of the left in Mexico” who always stayed close to the people. State officials and political figures paid tribute to his legacy of “closeness, service and honesty.”