Gilberto Rincón Gallardo
Encyclopedia
Gilberto Rincón Gallardo y Meltis (15 May 1939 - 30 August 2008) was a Mexican
politician, activist and former presidential candidate.
into an upper-class family descendant of the Marquess of Guadalupe and Count of Regla, and composed of Gilberto Rincón Gallardo Gallardo and Blanca Meltis González. At age 19 he became involved in politics when he joined the 1958 presidential campaign of Luis H. Álvarez
, a prominent figure of the conservative National Action Party
. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in law from the National Autonomous University of Mexico
and following his participation in several railroad workers' protests, he shifted politically to the left, where he participated in several political parties (some of which he represented at the Chamber of Deputies
).
With Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas
, Heberto Castillo
and others he co-founded the Party of the Democratic Revolution
(PRD), which he left in the nineties
arguing that its internal political struggles and dogmatism had frustrated any chance of becoming a modern socialist party. Subsequently, he went on to build the Social Democracy Party (in Spanish
: Partido Democracia Social) an institution that tried to introduce the Social Democracy
ideology in Mexico, but failed to keep its official recognition by some 20,000 votes in the 2000 federal election
s in which he ran as the party's presidential candidate.
In spite of the results, three years later he relaunched his platform as the Party of the Rose (Partido de la Rosa), which couldn't achieve official recognition because the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) refused to recognize its statutes. Rincón Gallardo built an impressive legal team led by former general prosecutor Jorge Carpizo McGregor
to challenge its decision but eventually failed to change the veredict.
As an activist, his harsh criticism to the Mexican government in the 1970s prompted several acts of repression and a political incarceration in the midst of the Mexican dirty war. Since he was born with a physical disability (shortened arms as the result of a birth defect), he also advocated better public policies toward the disabled and other social minorities.
Then-President Vicente Fox
appointed him president of the National Council to Prevent Discrimination (Consejo Nacional para Prevenir la Discriminación, CONAPRED) on 11 July 2003. He was confirmed by President Felipe Calderón
in 2006 and held the position until his death.
Following ten days of hospitalization, Rincón Gallardo died in Mexico City on August 30, 2008 at age 69. He was survived by his wife, Silvia Pavón Hampshire.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
politician, activist and former presidential candidate.
Biography
Rincón Gallardo was born in Mexico CityMexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
into an upper-class family descendant of the Marquess of Guadalupe and Count of Regla, and composed of Gilberto Rincón Gallardo Gallardo and Blanca Meltis González. At age 19 he became involved in politics when he joined the 1958 presidential campaign of Luis H. Álvarez
Luis H. Álvarez
Luis Héctor Álvarez is a Mexican industrialist and politician. Álvarez is a member of the National Action Party. In 1958 he was a candidate for the Presidency of Mexico...
, a prominent figure of the conservative National Action Party
National Action Party (Mexico)
The National Action Party , is one of the three main political parties in Mexico. The party's political platform is generally considered Centre-Right in the Mexican political spectrum. Since 2000, the President of Mexico has been a member of this party; both houses have PAN pluralities, but the...
. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in law from the National Autonomous University of Mexico
National Autonomous University of Mexico
The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México is a university in Mexico. UNAM was founded on 22 September 1910 by Justo Sierra as a liberal alternative to the Roman Catholic-sponsored Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) (National Autonomous...
and following his participation in several railroad workers' protests, he shifted politically to the left, where he participated in several political parties (some of which he represented at the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Mexico
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Congress of the Union, Mexico's bicameral legislature. The structure and responsibilities of both chambers of Congress are defined in Articles 50 to 70 of the current constitution.-Composition:The Chamber of Deputies is composed of one federal...
).
With Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas
Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas
Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Solórzano is a prominent Mexican politician. He was a former Head of Government of the Federal District and a founder of the Party of the Democratic Revolution .-Biography:...
, Heberto Castillo
Heberto Castillo
Heberto Castillo Martínez was a Mexican civil engineer and political activist.Castillo was born in Ixhuatlán de Madero, Veracruz, and received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the National Autonomous University...
and others he co-founded the Party of the Democratic Revolution
Party of the Democratic Revolution
The Party of the Democratic Revolution is a democratic socialist party in Mexico and one of 2 Mexican affiliates of the Socialist International...
(PRD), which he left in the nineties
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
arguing that its internal political struggles and dogmatism had frustrated any chance of becoming a modern socialist party. Subsequently, he went on to build the Social Democracy Party (in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Partido Democracia Social) an institution that tried to introduce the Social Democracy
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
ideology in Mexico, but failed to keep its official recognition by some 20,000 votes in the 2000 federal election
Mexican general election, 2000
General elections were held in Mexico on 6 July 2000. The presidential elections were won by Vicente Fox of the Alliance for Change, who received 43.4% of the vote, the first time the opposition had won an election since the Mexican Revolution...
s in which he ran as the party's presidential candidate.
In spite of the results, three years later he relaunched his platform as the Party of the Rose (Partido de la Rosa), which couldn't achieve official recognition because the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) refused to recognize its statutes. Rincón Gallardo built an impressive legal team led by former general prosecutor Jorge Carpizo McGregor
Jorge Carpizo McGregor
Jorge Carpizo Mac Gregor is a Mexican jurist who has occupied various high rank positions in the government of Mexico.Carpizo is the son of Óscar Carpizo Berrón and Luz María Mac Gregor Dondé...
to challenge its decision but eventually failed to change the veredict.
As an activist, his harsh criticism to the Mexican government in the 1970s prompted several acts of repression and a political incarceration in the midst of the Mexican dirty war. Since he was born with a physical disability (shortened arms as the result of a birth defect), he also advocated better public policies toward the disabled and other social minorities.
Then-President Vicente Fox
Vicente Fox
Vicente Fox Quesada is a Mexican former politician who served as President of Mexico from 1 December 2000 to 30 November 2006 and currently serves as co-President of the Centrist Democrat International, an international organization of Christian democratic political parties.Fox was elected...
appointed him president of the National Council to Prevent Discrimination (Consejo Nacional para Prevenir la Discriminación, CONAPRED) on 11 July 2003. He was confirmed by President Felipe Calderón
Felipe Calderón
Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa is the current President of Mexico. He assumed office on December 1, 2006, and was elected for a single six-year term through 2012...
in 2006 and held the position until his death.
Following ten days of hospitalization, Rincón Gallardo died in Mexico City on August 30, 2008 at age 69. He was survived by his wife, Silvia Pavón Hampshire.
Selected works
- Entre el pasado definitivo y el futuro posible: ejercicios de reflexión política en clave democrática (Fondo de Cultura EconómicaFondo de Cultura EconómicaFondo de Cultura Económica is the most important publishing house in Mexico and one of the most important ones in Latin America. It was originally established in 1934 by Daniel Cosío Villegas as a way to provide students of economics with books in Spanish on the subject...
, 2008)