Luis Donaldo Colosio

Luis Donaldo Colosio was a Mexican politician and economist who was the presidential candidate of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in 1994. He had previously served as a federal deputy, a senator, the president of the PRI, and the Secretary of Social Development under President Carlos Salinas de Gortari. He was considered a reformist within the party and a potential agent of change for the country, which was facing economic and social challenges. He advocated for democracy, social justice, and national unity in his campaign. He was assassinated on March 23, 1994, while attending a rally in Tijuana, Baja California, by a gunman named Mario Aburto Martínez. His murder shocked the nation and triggered a political crisis that led to the end of the PRI's dominance in Mexican politics. His death also inspired many conspiracy theories and investigations, none of which have conclusively determined the motives and masterminds behind the assassination. He is widely regarded as one of the most charismatic and popular leaders in Mexican history and a martyr for democracy.