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Manlio Fabio Beltrones presented his resignation as president of the ruling Revolutionary Institutional Party (PRI), in a reaction to the results of the recent state government elections in the country.
In a speech at the national headquarters of the party, Beltrones spoke about the elections and expressed that the PRI must reflect on the results of the last June 5 elections.
"Life and politics impose challenges that sometimes one is unable to solve, but one must face the consequences of it," he said.
"The voters presented a message in response to wrong policies and to politicians who fell in excesses because they did not have clear conducts," he added.
"It's time for a necessary pause," Beltrones told a news conference.
"This is a responsible decision that opens space for an internal debate and allows our party to freely decide the best path forward," he said.
Beltrones, a former governor and veteran federal lawmaker, announced his decision to step down after the PRI won only five of the dozen governors races up for grabs in the June 5 vote. It previously held nine of them.
The results were far worse for the centrist party than most polls had forecast.
The PRI's losses included two oil-rich strongholds in the Gulf of Mexico, Veracruz and neighboring Tamaulipas, both of which have been plagued by gang violence for years, as well as Quintana Roo, home to Mexico's top tourist destination Cancun. All three states have been run by the PRI for over eight decades.
Beltrones, 63, is still seen as a possible presidential contender for the PRI in 2018.
With information from Reuters
