Convergence for Democracy (1997–2002)

Convergence for Democracy originally gained national political grouping status in 1997, before attaining its party status in 1999. Founded on the principles of a social market economy, the party asserted it as the most effective framework for economic organization. Additionally, it advocated for additional democratic reforms in Mexico, aiming to give the public greater control over the country, and to further enhance the country's democratization process that started in 1982.^[9]

For the 2000 presidential election, Convergence for Democracy joined other left-wing parties in the Alliance for Mexico (Alianza por México). They nominated Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas as the presidential candidate and endorsed various candidates for state positions, namely Andrés Manuel López Obrador for the Head of the Federal District. Despite Cárdenas' third-place finish, López Obrador emerged victorious in his election.

In the local elections of 2001 and 2002, the party made gains in different states, securing victories for the positions of municipal presidents in the capitals of Veracruz and Oaxaca.

In August 2002, during the party's second National Assembly, members collectively opted to streamline the party's name to Convergence.

Convergence (2002–2011)

Convergencia logo

Convergence contested the 2003 mid-term congressional election as an independent party, and garnered 2.3% of the popular vote and five seats in the Chamber of Deputies. By 2006, the party had one coalition governor, one senator, 5 federal deputies, 25 state deputies, and 29 municipal presidents.

In the 2006 general election, Convergence established another left-wing electoral alliance, the Coalition for the Good of All, with the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) and the Labor Party (PT). The alliance rallied behind Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who faced a narrow defeat to Felipe Calderón, with a slim margin of approximately 0.56% in the national vote, prompting the alliance to assert allegations of electoral fraud. Following the Federal Electoral Tribunal's rejection of requests for a recount, the alliance's constituent parties coalesced to form a legislative coalition known as the Broad Progressive Front.

The tenure of President Felipe Calderón significantly reshaped the political landscape, marked by the initiation of the Mexican drug war and the 2007–2008 financial crisis in Mexico. By the 2009 legislative elections, numerous party platforms had developed positions opposing some policies implemented during his administration, with left-wing parties using the policies as examples of failures. During this period, Convergence and the Labor Party forged an electoral alliance known as "Salvemos a México."

The financial crisis and the Great Recession prompted Convergence to adopt a more assertive stance toward the implementation of a social market economy, as the party claimed that the crisis was caused by a lack of regulatory oversight by the state. The party also called for an end to the drug war, deeming it a failed endeavor that tarnished the military's public image and contributed to the erosion of human rights in the country. The alliance proposed the demilitarization of the country and called for democratic reforms in order to establish a true democratic state, free from discrimination, as a means to reduce crime. Furthermore, the party advocated for the creation of a fourth branch of government, managed by citizens, with the authority to audit and sanction members of the other three branches in cases of non-compliance with their obligations.^[10]

In 2010, one of the party's own candidates, Gabino Cué Monteagudo, won the governorship of Oaxaca through a coalition with other parties.

In 2011, during the party's second Special National Assembly, members voted to reform the party's structure, including its name and logo, rebranding the party to Citizens' Movement.^[11]

Citizens' Movement (2011–present)

In 2012, Citizens' Movement became part of the left-wing Progressive Movement electoral alliance, nominating Andrés Manual López Obrador for a second presidential candidacy. The party continued its aggressive stance on the state of Mexico's economic system, attributing the widespread poverty to the neoliberal policies implemented in Mexico since the mid-1980s, which López Obrador aimed to change. However, López Obrador lost to Enrique Peña Nieto by a margin of over 5%.

Following the election, López Obrador parted ways with the PRD and Citizens' Movement and chose to establish his own political party, Morena.^[12] In late 2012, the PRD entered into the Pact for Mexico agreement with the Institutional Revolutionary Party and National Action Party. Considering this a betrayal, Dante Delgado Rannauro, the party leader of Citizens' Movement, severed ties with the PRD. The party also clarified that it would not enter into an alliance with Morena due to ideology disagreements, which led the party to participate in elections independently from 2013 to 2017.

In the leadup to the 2018 general election, Dante Delgado expressed willingness to participate in an electoral alliance. Despite the Labor Party, their long-time ally, forming an alliance with López Obrador's Morena, Citizens' Movement maintained its stance of refraining from aligning with Morena. Instead, Citizens' Movement forged a big-tent electoral alliance with the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) and the National Action Party (PAN), representing the party's first federal-level alliance with a right-leaning party. Delgado and Raúl Flores, the head of the PRD, stated that the alliance's goal was to prove that the country's interests went before party politics, with Delgado stating that the alliance legally binded the parties to serve the citizens they represented.^[13][14][15] As part of its digital electoral strategy, Citizens' Movement utilized the viral music video "Movimiento Naranja – Yuawi," amassing over 54 million views on YouTube by the time of the election.^[16][17] The alliance's nominee, Ricardo Anaya, lost to Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who secured a landslide victory. In Jalisco, the party achieved its first solo governorship victory, electing Enrique Alfaro Ramírez.

Jorge Álvarez Máynez, the party's first own presidential candidate

After the 2018 election, the party returned to remaining independent in elections, abstaining from forming any alliances and even nominating their own presidential candidate, Jorge Álvarez Máynez, in the 2024 presidential election.^[18][19] Additionally, the party's agenda underwent a shift in priorities, departing from its previous focus on radical democratic reforms, instead opting for moderate reforms that would enhance citizen participation in the government. The party placed a heavy focus on the environment, sustainable mobility, and a green economy, proposing constitutuional amendments that would assign the government the responsibility of mitigating climate change. The party platform also focused more on social issues, particularly the eradication of violence, exclusion, and discrimination against women. Additionally, the party critiziced López Obrador's social programs, claiming that they had not helped reduce poverty and were being used for political gain.^[20]

Presidential elections

Election year	Candidate	Votes	%	Result	Note
2000	Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas	6,256,780	16.64	N Defeated	Support PRD candidate; alliance: Alliance for Mexico
2006	Andrés Manuel López Obrador	14,756,350	35.31	N Defeated	Support PRD candidate; alliance: Coalition for the Good of All
2012	Andrés Manuel López Obrador	15,848,827	31.61	N Defeated	Support PRD candidate; alliance: Progressive Movement
2018	Ricardo Anaya	12,610,120	22.27	N Defeated	Support PAN candidate; alliance: Por México al Frente
2024	Jorge Álvarez Máynez

Congressional elections

Chamber of Deputies

Election year	Seats [Note 1]			Electoral alliance	Presidency		Position
	Constituency	Party-list	Total
2000	0	2	2 / 500	Alliance for Mexico	Vicente Fox		Minority
2003	0	5	5 / 500	None	Vicente Fox		Minority
2006	5	12	17 / 500	Coalition for the Good of All	Felipe Calderón		Minority
2009	0	6	6 / 500	Salvemos a México	Felipe Calderón		Minority
2012	7	9	16 / 500	Progressive Movement	Enrique Peña Nieto		Minority
2015	10	15	25 / 500	None	Enrique Peña Nieto		Minority
2018	17	10	27 / 500	Por México al Frente	Andrés Manuel López Obrador		Minority
2021	7	16	23 / 500	None	Andrés Manuel López Obrador		Minority

Senate elections

Election year	Seats [Note 1]			Electoral alliance	Presidency		Position
	Constituency	Party-list	Total
2000	0	1	1 / 128	Alliance for Mexico	Vicente Fox		Minority
2006	3	2	5 / 128	Coalition for the Good of All	Felipe Calderón		Minority
2012	0	1	1 / 128	Progressive Movement	Enrique Peña Nieto		Minority
2018	2	5	7 / 128	Por México al Frente	Andrés Manuel López Obrador		Minority