Former Jalisco Governor Alberto Cardenas Jimenez promised to "kick out" the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) from Guadalajara city hall after winning the National Action Party (PAN) mayoral primary on Sunday.
Cardenas received 49.73 percent of the votes cast, easily beating his two rivals, Miguel Zarate (29.71 percent) and Cesar Madrigal (19.83 percent). Both accepted their defeat and vowed to support Cardenas in July's election.
Unlike the primary for PAN's candidate for governor, the primaries held in 125 Jalisco municipalities this weekend were restricted to party members only.
Name recognition and good organization helped secure the nomination for Cardenas, who was not the choice of the PAN leadership in the state.
After serving as governor of the state from 1994 to 2000, Cardenas was elected to the Senate and also held cabinet positions heading the federal agricultural and environment ministries.
Cardenas noted that the PAN has been the only party to hold primaries this election season and had given Mexico "a lesson in democracy."