Pe?a Nieto wins Mexican Presidential election

The party that governed Mexico for more than 70 years has returned to power. 

Enrique Peña Nieto is the former governor of the state of Mexico . He’s a member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, which held the presidency from 1929 to 2000. For the last 12 years, the more right-wing PAN has been in power.

Even though money issues were discussed a lot in the campaign, Erik Lee of the North American Center for Transborder Studies says that doesn’t quite explain it.

"It was not about the economy, stupid, as the Clinton campaign used to insist," Lee said. "I think it was about a general weariness with the direction of the country, and the PAN had just played all of its major cards. This election really ended up being a disaster for the PAN."

Lee saw the campaign as less about the issues and more about the personality of the candidates. But as far as one of Peña Nieto’s major campaign promises – increased tax revenues – Lee says: "Good luck to him with that. Mexicans despise taxes with a passion that is impressive."

Peña Nieto's inauguration is scheduled for December.