" ▁- " the ▁grey ▁President "). ▁This ▁per ception ▁w ors ened ▁with ▁his ▁government ' s ▁slow ▁response ▁to ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 5 ▁Earth qu ake , ▁when ▁President ▁De ▁la ▁Madrid ▁also ▁rejected ▁International ▁aid ▁in ▁the ▁immediate ▁after math ▁of ▁the ▁tra ged y . ▁ ▁President ▁De ▁la ▁Madrid ' s ▁biggest ▁legacy ▁may ▁have ▁been ▁his ▁implementation ▁of ▁economic ▁ne oli ber al ▁re forms ▁in ▁Mexico , ▁breaking ▁with ▁dec ades ▁of ▁economic ▁national ism , ▁and ▁beginning ▁mass ▁priv at ization ▁of ▁state - run ▁companies , ▁a ▁process ▁which ▁would ▁be ▁further ▁deep ened ▁during ▁the ▁administration ▁of ▁his ▁successor , ▁Carlos ▁Sal inas ▁de ▁G ort ari . ▁De ▁la ▁Madrid ▁was ▁also ▁the ▁first ▁of ▁the ▁so - called ▁Techn ocr ats ▁to ▁become ▁President . ▁On ▁the ▁other ▁hand , ▁those ▁re forms ▁and ▁his ▁unw illing ness ▁to ▁allow ▁a ▁primary ▁election ▁to ▁choose ▁the ▁P RI ▁candidate ▁for ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 8 ▁President ial ▁elections ▁are ▁cred ited ▁as ▁the ▁factors ▁which ▁led ▁to ▁the ▁split ▁of ▁the ▁party ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 7 , ▁with ▁Cu au ht ém oc ▁C ár den as ▁and ▁P orf i rio ▁Mu ñ oz ▁L edo ▁found ing ▁the ▁Party ▁of ▁the ▁Democratic ▁Revolution ▁( PR D ▁by ▁its ▁initial s ▁in ▁Spanish ) ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 9 , ▁taking ▁a ▁great ▁number ▁of ▁former ▁pri íst as ▁with ▁them . ▁ ▁Under