Mexico's two main opposition parties have broken off talks over the formation of an alliance for the July 2000 presidential elections, which would have seriously challenged the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) for the first time in 70 years.
The PRI is the longest-ruling party in the world, outlasting the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. While its legitimacy is based on regular elections, the formation of a viable alternative was regarded as a crucial test of Mexico's ailing democracy. This week's failure makes passing that test suddenly look much more remote.
"The game is up" said Mr Jose Agustin Ortiz Pinchetti, yesterday. Mr Ortiz Pinchetti is spokesman for the Citizen Council, a 14-member committee of respected public figures who had explored ways to promote the alliance between centre-left Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) and centre-right National Action Party (PAN), along with half-a-dozen smaller parties.
Mr Ortiz Pinchetti announced the dissolution of the Citizen Council after a heated five-hour meeting with PAN representatives, who "brutally attacked" the council's efforts, he said.
The process for the selection of a single candidate was to be decided by combining opinion poll results with a citizen's referendum, but PAN leader Mr Diego de Cevallos complained that council members arrived with "a predetermined proposal in mind", breaking the pledge to take all decisions by consensus rather than a simple majority.
The central dispute lay in the contrasting support bases of each party; while the PAN enjoys higher approval ratings in opinion polls, the PRD has greater capacity to mobilise activists for a public plebiscite.
The prospect of two strong opposition parties facing one PRI nominee opens the way to yet another ruling party victory.
On August 31st, the big prize seemed within the opposition's grasp, as eight out of 10 parties agreed to hold a primary election in November to select an Alliance for Mexico candidate.
The alliance also planned to field joint congressional candidates and draw up a common government plan. This was never going to be easy; the PAN is regarded as a conservative, pro-business party, while the PRD leans to the left, backing Zapatista rebel demands in Chiapas and demanding more social spending to ease widespread poverty.