---
title: "PRD — AP Comp Gov Definition & Exam Guide"
description: "The PRD is Mexico's leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution, one of three major parties in Mexico's multiparty system. Key for AP Comp Gov Topic 4.3."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/prd"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP Comparative Government"
unit: "Unit 4"
---

# PRD — AP Comp Gov Definition & Exam Guide

## Definition

The PRD (Partido de la Revolución Democrática, or Party of the Democratic Revolution) is Mexico's major leftist political party, strongest in southern Mexico, and one of the three parties (with PRI and PAN) that dominate Mexico's multiparty system in AP Comparative Government.

## What It Is

The PRD is the Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolución Democrática), [Mexico](/ap-comp-gov/review-by-country/mexico/study-guide/kBdQHh6UAoZ9orsL "fv-autolink")'s main party of the left. It formed in 1989 when leftist politicians, including Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, broke away from the long-ruling PRI after the disputed 1988 presidential election. The PRD pushes redistributive economic policies and social programs, and its base is strongest in southern Mexico and Mexico City, regions with higher poverty rates.

For [AP Comp Gov](/ap-comp-gov "fv-autolink"), the PRD matters as one corner of Mexico's three-party landscape. Mexico has lots of registered parties, but PRI, PAN, and PRD historically captured the bulk of votes and seats, which is why the exam treats Mexico as a [multiparty system](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/multiparty-system "fv-autolink") dominated by these three. The PRD's existence is itself evidence of Mexico's democratization. A genuine leftist opposition party could compete and win offices, something impossible during the decades of PRI one-party dominance. One more piece of context worth knowing: Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) ran for president as the PRD candidate in 2006 and 2012 before leaving to found MORENA, which pulled away much of the PRD's voter base.

## Why It Matters

The PRD lives in [Unit 4](/ap-comp-gov/unit-4 "fv-autolink") (Party and Electoral Systems and Citizen Organizations), specifically [Topic 4.3](/ap-comp-gov/unit-4/political-party-systems/study-guide/HNDifxoeF5hglhPzck7v "fv-autolink") on political party systems. It directly supports learning objective AP Comp Gov 4.3.A, which asks you to describe characteristics of party systems and party membership across the six course countries. The essential knowledge here (PAU-4.A.1) says party systems range from dominant-party systems to multiparty systems, and Mexico is your go-to example of a country that moved from one to the other. You can't explain that shift without the PRD, because the PRD is the leftist alternative that helped break PRI's monopoly. It also gives you a concrete example of regional party support, since the PRD draws votes from the poorer south while PAN historically pulled from the wealthier north.

## Connections

### Dominant party systems (Unit 4)

The PRD is the contrast case. For 71 years the PRI ran Mexico as a dominant-party system, and the PRD's rise after 1989 is exactly what the end of dominance looks like. When you compare Mexico's multiparty system to [Russia](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/russia "fv-autolink")'s United Russia dominance, the PRD is your evidence that real opposition parties can win in Mexico.

### [El Dedazo (Unit 4)](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/el-dedazo)

[El dedazo](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/el-dedazo "fv-autolink") was the PRI president's practice of hand-picking his successor. The PRD was literally born from a rebellion against it. Cárdenas and other leftists left the PRI after being shut out of that process, so the PRD's founding story is the dedazo story told from the losers' side.

### [Communist Party of China (Unit 4)](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/communist-party-of-china)

[China](/ap-comp-gov/review-by-country/china/study-guide/K0v3iydFqTXwWWKj "fv-autolink") allows eight minor parties to exist but only the CCP can govern (PAU-4.A.2). The PRD shows the opposite arrangement. In Mexico, opposition parties don't just exist on paper, they actually win governorships, legislative seats, and the presidency. That's the line between a one-party state and a competitive multiparty system.

### [Accountability (Unit 4)](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/accountability)

Competitive parties like the PRD give voters a real way to punish the governing party at the ballot box. A leftist opposition winning offices forces incumbents to answer for their performance, which is the basic mechanism of electoral accountability.

## On the AP Exam

Multiple-choice questions ask you to identify Mexico's party system type and name the parties that dominate it. Practice stems like "Which parties dominate Mexico's multiparty system?" or "Why is Mexico's system considered dominated by PRI, PAN, and PRD despite many registered parties?" expect you to know all three parties and roughly where each sits ideologically (PRD on the left). The PRD also appeared on the 2017 SAQ Q3, so free-response questions can name it directly. On FRQs, the move is usually comparative. Be ready to use the PRD as evidence that Mexico has a competitive multiparty system, then contrast that with Russia's engineered one-party dominance or China's single-party rule. Knowing the PRD's southern regional base and its split from the PRI gives you the specific detail that earns points.

## PRD vs PRI

The names are one letter apart and both come from the Mexican Revolution's legacy, so they get scrambled constantly. The PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) is the party that ruled Mexico for 71 straight years as a dominant party. The PRD (Party of the Democratic Revolution) is the leftist party that broke away FROM the PRI in 1989 to oppose it. Quick check for the exam: PRI = the old hegemonic party, PRD = the leftist splinter that helped end its monopoly. PAN, the third major party, is the center-right party that actually won the presidency from the PRI in 2000.

## Key Takeaways

- The PRD (Party of the Democratic Revolution) is Mexico's major leftist party, with its strongest support in southern Mexico and Mexico City.
- It was founded in 1989 by leftists, led by Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, who split from the PRI after the disputed 1988 election.
- Mexico is classified as a multiparty system because three parties (PRI, PAN, and PRD) genuinely compete for and win power, unlike China's single-party rule or Russia's engineered dominance.
- The PRD's ability to win real offices is exam-ready evidence of Mexico's democratization after decades of PRI dominance.
- AMLO ran as the PRD's presidential candidate in 2006 and 2012 before leaving to found MORENA, which later drained much of the PRD's support.
- Regional party bases matter on the exam: PRD in the poorer south, PAN historically in the wealthier north.

## FAQs

### What is the PRD in AP Comp Gov?

The PRD is the Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolución Democrática), Mexico's main leftist party. It's one of the three parties, alongside PRI and PAN, that make Mexico a multiparty system in Topic 4.3.

### What's the difference between the PRD and the PRI?

The PRI is the party that dominated Mexico for 71 years; the PRD is the leftist party that split off from the PRI in 1989 to oppose it. Think of the PRD as the rebellion and the PRI as the old regime it rebelled against.

### Is the PRD a left-wing or right-wing party?

Left-wing. The PRD supports redistributive economic policies and social programs, and its base is in poorer southern Mexico. PAN sits on the center-right, and the PRI occupies a shifting middle.

### Does the PRD prove Mexico is a one-party state?

No, the opposite. The fact that an opposition party like the PRD can legally compete and win governorships and legislative seats is evidence that Mexico is a competitive multiparty system, not a one-party state like China.

### Is the PRD still a major party in Mexico?

Its influence has declined since AMLO left to found MORENA in 2014, taking much of the leftist vote with him. For the AP exam, though, the PRI-PAN-PRD trio is still the standard framing for Mexico's multiparty system.

## Related Study Guides

- [4.3 What are Political Party Systems?](/ap-comp-gov/unit-4/political-party-systems/study-guide/HNDifxoeF5hglhPzck7v)

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