A veteran politician who bolted from the ruling PRI party earlier this year is the apparent winner of a hotly contested race for governor of Quintana Roo.
Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez is credited with victory in Quintana Roo with 45.6% of the ballots cast. The standard bearer of National Action had 214,300 votes; in second place would be Mauricio Góngora PRI-PVEM-Nueva Alianza, with 36% and 169,000 votes.
With almost 80% of votes counted in the Preliminary Electoral Results Program (PREP), Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez, of the PAN-PRD, was emerging with the victory in Quintana Roo with 45.6% of the vote.
The upstart Morena party was placed as the third political force, with 49,693 votes for gubernatorial candidate Jose Luis Pech.
Carlos Joaquin (center) with supporters during campaign. (PHOTO: larevista.com.mx)
The virtual governor of Quintana Roo, Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez is not a member of the PAN or PRD; he ran as a standard bearer of the opposition alliance.
Gonzalez resigned from the PRI in mid-February this year, just days before accepting the nomination of the opposition.
Among his career highlights is serving in the cabinet of Enrique Peña Nieto as undersecretary of tourism. He also is half-brother of Pedro Joaquin Codwell, current Secretary of Energy.
Source: 24-horas.mx
