Similar but different
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Presidential system, mixed proportional /
single member district representation
One-party dominant system ( PRI) 70+yrs.
Sexenio – one term of 6 years
IFE – Institutuo Federal Electoral: combats
electoral fraud
Camarilla system – network of PRI supporters
within federal government positions
Election of 2000 – end of PRI dominance
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Public policy challenges: unstable economy,
illegal drug trade, and emigration to the US
Federal System: 36 states, one federal
district
North is more developed and conservative,
South is less developed and more liberal
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Mexico is Ethnically diverse
Spanish descendants, native populations,
descendants of African slaves, and
Mestizos ( mixed population)
Chiapas: large poor population that lives in
the south, has rebelled against the
government and alleged discrimination
Most citizens in Mexico are Catholic
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Still in effect today, modeled somewhat after
the US.
Sexenio – non-reelection, no national leader
can succeed himself/herself (all Fed pos.)
State controlled national resources (PEMEX –
oil industry)
Banks were nationalized, peso devalued,
hurting the wealthy. Haciendas ( huge land
estates) were broken up in favor of ejidos (
state owned land worked by peasants)
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Mexico’s political parties, interest groups, and
media all work to link Mexican citizens to their
government
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During the PRI era all of this took place under the
authority of the PRI party so a true civil society did
not exist
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As democratization began and civil society began to
develop, these structures were already in place, so
activating democracy was easier than it would have
been otherwise
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Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI)
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National Action Party (PAN)
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Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD)
In power from 1920-2000
Originally elites agreed to trade favors and pass
around power from one cacique to another
(Sexenio)
 Corporatist structure – interest groups woven into
the structure of the party.
 Patron-client system – party traditionally gets its
support from rural areas where patron-client system
is still in control. Patron-client system allowed the
PRI to remain in control of Mexicans as long as
majority of population was rural-based, this began
to change in the late 1980s
 Supporters are more rural, less educated and older
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Founded in 1939
Represents business interests opposed to centralization and
anti-clericalism
 PAN support strongest in the north
 PAN generally considered PRI’s opposition to the Right
 PAN candidate Vicente Fox won 2000 presidential election,
Felipe Calderon won 2006 election
 Platform
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Regional autonomy
Less government intervention in the economy
Clean & fair elections
Good rapport with Catholic Church
Support for private and religious education
Supporters are urban, middle class, wealthy
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PRD considered PRI’s opposition to the Left
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Presidential candidate in 1988 & 1994 was Cuahtemoc
Cardenas (son of Lazaro Cardenas)
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PRD has been plagued by poor organization, lack of
charismatic leadership, and most importantly the lack of an
economic alternative to the market-oriented policies of the
PRI & PAN (a more socialist party)
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Supporters are working class, younger, better educated,
active
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PRI – small town or rural, less educated, older, poorer
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PAN – from the north, middle-class professional or
business, urban, better educated (at least high school, some
college) religious (or those less strict regarding separation of
church & state)
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PRD – younger, politically active, from the central states,
some education, small town or urban
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Citizens in Mexico directly elect the president,
Chamber of Deputy Representatives, and Senators
as well as most local & state officials
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Elections are generally competitive, specifically in
urban areas
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Members of congress elected through dual system of
“first-past-the-post” and proportional representation
▪ Proportional representation was increased in a
major reform law in 1986, a change that gave
power to political parties that challenged PRI
control
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Each of Mexico’s 31 states elects three senators, 2 are
determined by majority vote, the other is determined by
whichever party receives the second highest number of
votes
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32 senate seats are determined nationally through a
system of proportional representation that divides the
seats according to the number of votes cast for each party
(128 Senate seats in total)
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In the Chamber of Deputies, 300 seats are determined
by plurality within single-member districts, and 200 are
chosen by proportional representation
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PAN/PRD candidate Vicente Fox won presidency (43% of
the vote compared to 36% garnered for PRI candidate
Francisco Labastida)
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New, competitive election system has encouraged
coalitions to form to the right & left of the PRI
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Split in votes has encourage gridlock, phenomenon unknown
to Mexico under the old PRI-controlled governments
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Business Interests – networked with political leaders to protect
the growth of commerce, finance, industry, and agriculture
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Labor – accommodated within system
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Wage levels for union workers increased
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Economic crisis of lowering oil prices in the 80’s caused wages
to drop.
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Power of union bosses has decreased as unions weaken and
members become more independent
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Part of the patron-client system under the PRI, with rewards
and favors doled out in return for political support
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Have become more independent as PRI-political structure
has been reorganized
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Many Mexicans have access to international newspapers,
magazines, CNN and the BBC
Media has become more investigative, but still has government
interference. ( Elections)
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Center of policy-making
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Sexenio: non-renewable six-year term
(Under PRI similar to dictator)
▪ Selected successor
▪ Appointed officials to all positions of power in the
government
▪ Named PRI candidates for other public office
▪ Control over “rubber-stamp” Congress
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Powers of President
 Initiate legislation
 In charge of foreign policy
 Create government agencies
 Issues decrees and regulations with force of law
 (Similarities to US) (trends?)
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High & Middle level officials have a good deal of
power
 Civil servants work for patrons more than the statethe staff will follow minister when gets a new job
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Under PRI: corruption and bribes quite common
amongst officials in the bureaucracy
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Parastatal Sector – semiautonomous government
agencies that often produce goods & services
 PEMEX (state owned petroleum company)
 After 1980’s oil bust reforms cut the number of
para-statals, and many are now privately owned
 President Fox tried unsuccessfully to privatize
PEMEX
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Bicameral
Chamber of Deputies (500-member), Senate (128-member)
All legislators directly elected-members can’t serve consecutive
terms
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Election held every three years
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Until 1980s legislature remained under strict control of the
president
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PRI’s lost hold on legislature earlier than it did on the presidency
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Lost majority in the Chamber of Deputies in 1997
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Women in both houses has risen significantly since 1996 election
law required parties to sponsor female candidates
▪ Parties must run at least 30% female candidates for
proportional representation and single-member district
elections
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36 states and federal district
 Depend on federal government for funding
 Patronage very important
 The Breakdown of the PRI has hurt these
networks
 Attempts to reform the system have been
thwarted by government agencies and the
governors who retain control of the money when
it is given to the states
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Strong judicial branch necessary for a country to operate on
the “Rule of Law”
Mexico does not have an independent judiciary or judicial
review system
Most laws are federal, limiting the authority of state courts
Much more dependent on written law than precedence
Supreme Court
▪ On paper has judicial review, but it never overrules
important government policy or actions
▪ Historically has been controlled by the executive branch
▪ Judges appointed for life, but in practice resigned at
the beginning of each sexenio
▪ Fox tried to work for an independent judiciary but seems
to have came up short on this endeavor
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Dominated Mexican political life into the early 20th
century
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Government control of the military one of PRI’s most
important accomplishments
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Strong ties between military officers and drug barons
▪ Military heavily involved in drug-enforcement
▪ Some corruption with drug cartels through the military
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Economy
 “Mexican Miracle”
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1940-1960 economy grew more than 6% per year
Industrial production up nearly 9% per year during 1960s
Agricultural share of production down: 25% to 11%
Manufacturing share of production up: 25% to 34%
 Problems
▪ Growing gap between rich & poor
▪ Rapid/Unplanned Urbanization
 Debt Crisis
▪ Mexican government borrowed heavily in order to
industrialize, Maquiladoras ( factories on border of Mex/US)
▪ Most of the economic growth based on oil economy
▪ Oil plummet in 1982, caused Mexican economy to plummet as
well
▪ 1987, Mexico over $107 billion in debt, debt represented 70%
of GNP
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Reform
▪ Begun by President Miguel de la Madrid in 1982,
continued by presidents Salinas & Zedillo (the
tecnicos)
 Sharp cuts in Government Spending –
▪ Mexico greatly reduced government spending by
eliminating public enterprises
▪ cutting government subsidies
▪ cutting hundreds of thousands of public jobs
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This conflict brought to light the significant
economic disparity between the mostly
impoverished southern regions and the more
heavily industrialized northern regions !!!
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Proof of “Ethnic Cleavages”
Chiapas, largely poor population in the south,
has rebelled and alleged discrimination.
Mestizos, Spanish dec., native pop, Slave dec.
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GATT/WTO – in 1986 Mexico joined the General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade, the precursor to the World Trade Organization
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NAFTA – economics still dominates even in terms of foreign policy
 Has brought more transparency to Mexican politics and economics
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Immigration & Drug Trafficking – America still the key
focus for Mexican foreign policy
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Communication Technology has made Mexico’s
problems more global (Zapatista Movement)
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Election Reform
▪ CFE (Federal Election Reform) – created as an independent
regulatory body to safeguard honest and accurate election
results
▪ Campaign Finance Restriction – laws that limit campaign
contributions
▪ International Watch Teams – so Mexico could convince other
countries that elections are fair and competitive
▪ Election monitoring – done by opposition party members
Mexico’s Drug War
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn8hEoVYfyU
 Mexico’s Drug War:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfRAVONRyZ4
 Election of 2012: http://www.economist.com/node/21557337
 Votes for Sale
 http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Mexican%2
0elections&sm=3
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A tale of Two Economies: Mexico and China
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YWyFW00RTM