Manuel Andrade Díaz

That year he was named Coordinating State of the Legal Defense program of vote for the electoral process,[clarification needed] and nominated Roberto Madrazo Pintado as candidate for governor.

During Pintado's campaign, Andrade was named secretary of Electoral Action, in which position he designed the strategy that resulted in victory for the PRI.

[6] After political negotiations, the parties agreed and Enrique Priego Oropeza assumed the interim position and called new elections for 5 August 2001.

Andrade was again selected as candidate for governor, to face César Raúl Ojeda, also reselected by the PRD to contest the governorship.

The PAN selected Lucio Lastra to fight the election, and also running was Blanca Guerrero of the Social Alliance Party.

On election day, Manuel Andrade again prevailed with 50.67% of the votes, compared to 45.95% for Ojeda Zubieta, who this time accepted defeat without complaint.

Manuel Andrade was sworn in as Governor of Tabasco on 1 January 2002, in the presence of the President of Mexico, Vicente Fox, and the absence of the PRD and PAN state legislators.