Labor Party (Mexico)

The Labor Party (Partido del Trabajo,, PT; also known as the Workers Party) is a political party in Mexico. It was founded on 8 December 1990. The party is currently led by Alberto Anaya.

Following the elections of 2018, the PT became the third-largest political party in the Chamber of Deputies with 61, after Morena with 191 and PAN with 81. Political maneuvering briefly established PRI as the third force in August 2020, although it later turned out that PT and PRI were tied with 46 seats each after doubtful PRD deputy defections in favor of PRI

It received 3.25% of the total votes cast in the federal elections of 2021, placing it as the seventh national political force. The Congress of the Union has 33 federal deputies and 4 senators in its LXV legislature.

Initial History
Following the coordination of several social groups, including the Independent Teachers' Movement, the National Union of Agricultural Workers (UNTA), the National Coordinator "Plan de Ayala," the Popular Front of Struggle of Zacatecas, the Popular Front "Tierra y Libertad" of Monterrey, the Popular Defense Committees of Durango and Chihuahua, and the Popular Union of Agricultural Workers, the PT formed.

The party first participated in federal elections in 1991, but it failed to win 1.5 percent of the vote (the amount necessary to be recognized as a national party). In 1994, Cecilia Soto became the presidential candidate.

1998–2006
In 1998 the PT allied with the larger Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) for the first time in the state of Zacatecas. In the 2000 elections, the party took part in the PRD-led Alliance for the Good of All. As part of the Alliance, it won 7 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 1 seat in the Senate.

The PT ran separately from the PRD in the 2003 elections for the Chamber of Deputies. The party won 2.4 percent of the popular vote and 6 out of 500 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.

In November 2005, the PT endorsed the PRD's candidate for President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador for the July 2006 elections. In these elections the party won 12 out of 500 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 3 out of 128 Senators.

In October 2006, the PT further allied itself with the PRD and the Convergence Party to form the Broad Progressive Front (FAP for its Spanish initials), which was granted the register by the Federal Electoral Institute.

2012 Mexican general election
In 2012 the PT supported PRD presidential candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

2018 Mexican general election
The 2018 Mexican general election was the fifth presidential election PT had participated in. Its candidate for the Presidency was Andrés Manuel López Obrador as PT formed a coalition with left-wing National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) and right-wing Social Encounter Party (PES).

Background
On 24 June 2017, the PT approved to stand for election in 2018 in an electoral alliance with MORENA, however the coalition was not officially registered before the National Electoral Institute, the electoral authorities of the country. From MORENA, the alliance was facilitated as a result of the decline of the PT candidate Óscar González Yáñez, who resigned his candidacy requesting the vote in favor of Delfina Gómez Álvarez, standard-bearer in the state elections of the State of Mexico in 2017.

At first, there was speculation about the possibility of a front grouping all the leftist parties: MORENA, PRD, PT and Citizens' Movement (MC). However, Andrés Manuel López Obrador rejected any kind of agreement due to political differences, especially after the elections in the State of Mexico, when the candidates of the PRD and MC continued with their campaigns refusing to support the candidate of MORENA. At the end of November 2017, the leaders of MORENA and the PES announced that they were in talks to form a possible alliance. In this sense, Hugo Eric Flores Cervantes, President of PES, said, "We don't negotiate with the PRI, we have two options, go alone or with MORENA."

Confirmation
On December 13, the coalition between Morena, the PT and the PES was formalized under the name Juntos Haremos Historia (English: Together we will make history). Following the signing of the agreement, Andrés Manuel López Obrador was appointed as a pre-candidate for the three political formations. It is a partial coalition that will promote López Obrador as a presidential candidate and, with respect to the legislative elections: MORENA will have to choose candidates in 150 federal electoral districts and 32 districts to the Senate; 75 deputies and 16 senators for PT and 75 deputies and 16 senators for the PES.

The alliance has received criticism as it is a coalition between two leftist parties (MORENA and the PT) with a formation related to the evangelical right (PES). In response, the national president of MORENA, Yeidckol Polevnsky, mentioned that her party believes in inclusion, joint work to "rescue Mexico" and that they will continue to defend human rights, while Hugo Eric Flores Cervantes, national president of the PES, mentioned that "the only possibility of real change in our country is the one headed by Andrés Manuel López Obrador" and that his party had decided to put "on the right side of history."

Platform
The current party platform seeks to maintain the policies of the so-called "4T" these policies include, deepen federalism, and decentralize federal government duties. It encourages a mixed economy as an alternative to neo-liberalism. It advocates for judicial reform, including the election of ministers by popular vote. To reform the educational system, they seek to incorporate socialist, left-wing, and progressive organizations. Through its relationships with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, it aims to advance Latin Americanism in international politics; Furthermore, recognize the State of Palestine formally.

Chamber of Deputies
Due to a number of party changes among legislators, in September 2020 PT became tied for the third most biggest political party in the Chamber, after MORENA and PAN, but tied with PRI, with 34 seats each.