The lessons of July 6: electoral results were largely expected, but some political truths emerge.

No big surprise seems to accurately sum up July's mid-term elections. However, the results--which determined a new Chamber of Deputies, governors in six states and local officials in nine states and Mexico City--do provide a few lessons politicians should note.

LESSON NO. 1: POPULARITY ALONE DOES NOT WIN VOTES.

Though President Fox's popularity made him the obvious choice as the National Action Party's poster boy during the elections, it proved insufficient to win votes for PAN candidates.

LESSON NO. 2: MARKETING IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR STRENGTH IN A POLITICAL PARTY.

On the heels of election day, PAN President Luis Felipe Bravo Mena said "we shot for the moon and neglected to supply for the trip." In other words, the PAN concentrated on selling itself and neglected to shore up the party at the ground level by motivating citizens and party members to campaign on its behalf. In contrast, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) showed how it remains the only political party that can count on its members to hit the streets in almost every corner of the country.

LESSON NO. 3: NO VOTES ARE WON WITHOUT EFFECTIVE PUBLIC POLICY.

The fact is the federal government's public policy did not reflect well in the polls for PAN candidates. On the other hand, Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's public policy aimed directly at residents--renovation of the downtown area, vouchers for the elderly, economic incentives for home improvements--translated into votes for the mayor's Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). Call it populism or whatever you want, the truth is these policies significantly explain why the PRD practically swept the capital.

LESSON NO. 4: BEING POPULAR DOES NOT MEAN YOUR FRIENDS WILL BE THERE WHEN YOU NEED THEM.

The president's popularity was not enough to strengthen political ties, form new ones or win votes for the PAN. Fox failed to use this opportune time to form new alliances and further fell short by neglecting to reach out to his old friends--the business sector and his party members--who helped him to power in 2000. In addition, the Friends of Fox, who helped raise money for his presidential campaign, have now become a burden rather than a booster for the Fox administration. Despite his popularity, it appears the president has already worn out his friendships by the looks of these mid-term elections.

LESSON NO. 5: WITH A DIVIDED CONGRESS, POLITICAL KNOW-HOW IS KEY.

President Fox believed his popularity would be enough to implement the structural reforms the country needs. The president not only failed in his strategy, he also lost votes for his party with this thinking, as well as provoked discontent and frustration among some of his allies. The president did not have an effective political strategy, did not strengthen political ties, failed to form new alliances and implemented ineffective public policies, which led to losses for PAN candidates. As a result, the president will continue to have to deal with a Congress in which no party has a majority.

Of course, not all is lost for Fox, his government or the country. The implications of this impending democratic change depend on three factors: a) the way he approaches the changed political scene; b) how well the newly elected deputies get along inside their respective parties; and, c) improved dialogue and negotiation between the politicians that now push the nation's levers. These are all topics for the next column.

In the upcoming weeks, the government and the opposing political parties will have time to reflect upon the election results, as well as make the necessary adjustments to work within the changed political framework. In fact, they will have until Sept. 1 when the next congressional session starts.

Joel Estudillo Rendon is a member of the board of the Mexican Institute for Political Studies.