Fox Inaugurated — PRI Apparatus Resists Democratic Transition

Vicente Fox's December 1, 2000 inauguration ended 71 years of continuous PRI rule. Fox symbolically entered Congress through the back door, refusing PRI's ceremonial route. His government opened historical archives on political crimes (Tlatelolco, Dirty War), creating the FEMOSPP special prosecutor. However, Fox failed to prosecute former officials effectively, pass fiscal reform, or resolve the Chiapas conflict. His two-term PAN administration delivered democratic freedoms but struggled to translate political opening into economic inclusion.