The PRI announced they will be opening up their primaries to all voters in Mexico. This is fantastic news for both the PRI and Mexico as a whole.
The current leading PRI candidate, Roberto Madrazo, is in many ways a machine politician. Yes, Madrazo has had some breaks with the old, corrupt PRI machinery. However, his style of politics definitely resembles everything wrong with the PRI. I believe that is one reason so many Mexican voters remain unsure of their 2006 vote.
By allowing a primary, it gives the northern PRI candidates a chance to make a national name for themselves and compete for the PRI presidential spot. Even if Madrazo wins (which he is likely to do), winning in a open and transparent primary may be just what he needs to break from some of the negative baggage of the past. Moderate Mexicans who are hesitant to vote for the PRI may be influenced by the PRI's moves towards more transparency.
Either way, a primary helps the PRI win some credibility and gives Mexican voters a voice in a decision that used to be made in an almost dictatorial way. It's certainly not perfect, but it's one more step forward in the long process of democracy.
(UPDATE: 5:20AM, 13 July): And just so nobody gets the wrong idea about Madrazo, the LA Times does a good job rounding up how Madrazo is bending the PRI party rules to maintain power and the divisions he has created within the PRI.
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