Veracruz political shifts and the decline of PRI leadership

Analysis of the political dynamics in Veracruz suggests that former Governor Javier Duarte de Ochoa could have avoided being the last PRI state leader in the region through different strategies. One such strategy involved limiting the subsequent governorship to a two-year term (2016–2018) to align local elections with federal ones.

During this period, the PRI selected Senator Héctor Yunes Landa as its candidate. Yunes Landa faced his cousin, Miguel Ángel Yunes Linares, who ran under the PAN-PRD alliance. The relationship between Duarte and Yunes Landa was marked by significant tension and public mockery from the governor, which weakened the party's internal structure and contributed to the eventual loss of the governorship.