AP Comparative Government: Mexico

Spanish Colonial Rule (1519)

Spain exploited Mexico for gold and silver. Indigenous labor supported colonial regime.

Mexican War of Independence (1810–1821)

Mexico becomes sovereign but deeply divided. Weak state, coups, loss of land in Mexican-American War.

Porfirio Díaz (1876–1910)

Authoritarian president. Rule based on order and economic growth. Ended with Mexican Revolution.

Mexican Revolution (1910–1920)

Rebellion against Díaz. Created the modern Mexican state. Led to PRI dominance.

Constitution of 1917

Established democratic framework. Provided checks and balances, rights, and land reforms. Basis of legitimacy today.

PRI dominance (1929–2000)

Single-party rule. Controlled through clientelism, corporatism, electoral fraud, and oil wealth.

PRI Shift (1980s)

Adopted neoliberal, pro-business policies. Angered leftists, leading to splinter parties.

1988 Election

Fraudulent election. Sparked creation of PRD and demanded reforms.

INE (National Electoral Institute)

Founded 1990. Independent agency overseeing elections. Increased legitimacy of democracy.

2000 Election

Vicente Fox (PAN) wins presidency. First peaceful transfer of power after 71 years of PRI rule.

2012 Election

PRI returns with Enrique Peña Nieto. Promised modernization but scandals damaged credibility.

2018 Election

AMLO (MORENA) wins presidency. Left-populist platform focused on anticorruption and social programs.

2024 Election

Claudia Sheinbaum (MORENA) wins. First woman and first Jewish president of Mexico.

Sexenio

The six-year nonrenewable presidential term in Mexico. Prevents long-term authoritarianism.

Head of State (Mexico)

President represents the nation symbolically in international affairs.

Head of Government (Mexico)

President runs policymaking process, signs laws, proposes legislation.

Presidential Powers

Can appoint cabinet, veto laws, issue decrees, command armed forces, negotiate treaties.

Chamber of Deputies (Lower House)

500 members. 300 SMD seats, 200 PR seats. 3-year terms. Pass laws, taxes, budget, certify elections.

Senate (Upper House)

128 members. 64 by plurality, 32 by runner-up, 32 by PR. 6-year terms. Confirms appointments, ratifies treaties.

Bicameral Legislature

Mexico’s Congress has two chambers: Chamber of Deputies (lower) and Senate (upper).

Supreme Court

11 justices. Appointed by president, approved by Senate. Serve 15 years. Increasing independence since 2000.

Judicial Review

Power of courts to strike down executive or legislative actions. Increasing use in Mexico.

Judicial Weakness

Corruption and impunity weaken rule of law, especially at local levels.

Federalism in Mexico

31 states + Mexico City. More autonomous since 2000. Governors gained power through fiscal reform.

Governors Association

State governors formed a bloc to resist central government mandates without funding.

Iguala Massacre (2014)

43 students disappeared, allegedly killed with state-cartel collusion. Weakened legitimacy, exposed corruption.

Clientelism

System where politicians provide favors in exchange for political loyalty. Common under PRI.

Corporatism

System where state authorizes and controls groups (unions, business associations). PRI relied on this.

Pluralism

System where multiple independent groups compete for influence. More democratic than corporatism.

Mandate

Broad support to enact policies. Mexican presidents struggle due to plurality elections.

Mixed Electoral System

Mexico combines SMD and PR seats in legislature to balance representation.

PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party)

Founded 1929. Centrist, ideologically flexible. Dominant 1929–2000. Returned briefly in 2012.

PAN (National Action Party)

Founded 1939. Right-wing, Catholic, pro-business. Won presidency 2000 (Fox), 2006 (Calderón).

PRD (Party of the Democratic Revolution)

Founded 1988. Leftist, social democratic. Rose after 1988 fraud. Declined after MORENA split.

MORENA (National Regeneration Movement)

Founded 2014 by AMLO. Left-populist, anti-elite. Won 2018 and 2024 elections.

Vicente Fox (PAN)

First non-PRI president (2000). Symbol of democratization. Promoted reforms but faced legislative gridlock.

Felipe Calderón (PAN)

President 2006. Known for launching militarized drug war. Violence escalated.

Enrique Peña Nieto (PRI)

President 2012. Promised modernization but scandals and corruption weakened legitimacy.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador (MORENA)

President 2018. Expanded executive power, anticorruption campaign, populist appeals.

Claudia Sheinbaum (MORENA)

President 2024. First woman president. Left-populist policies, emphasis on PEMEX and welfare.

Economic Model under PRI

Import Substitution Industrialization (ISI). Protectionist policies, state-owned industries, especially PEMEX.

Debt Crisis (1982)

Mexico borrowed heavily. Oil collapse caused debt crisis. IMF required neoliberal reforms.

NAFTA (1994)

Trade agreement with US and Canada. Boosted trade, hurt small farmers, tied Mexico’s economy to US.

USMCA (2019)

Updated NAFTA under Trump. Increased labor standards, minimum wage, and auto industry requirements.

PEMEX

State-owned oil company. Funded social programs and legitimacy. Partially privatized in 2013.

AMLO’s Economy

Increased state control, anti-privatization, social programs. COVID undermined results.

Sheinbaum’s Economy

Continues MORENA’s populist model. Supports PEMEX as semi-public, invests in schools and hospitals.

Social Policy Wins

2022: Same-sex marriage legalized nationwide. 2023: Abortion decriminalized nationwide.

Civil Society

Groups outside government control. Stronger after democratization, but threatened by cartels.

Media in Mexico

Dangerous environment. Journalists face violence and assassination. Weakens democratic accountability.

Democratic Consolidation (3 Examples)

(1) 2000 peaceful transfer of power. (2) INE reforms. (3) Gender quotas in legislature.

Democratic Backsliding (3 Examples)

(1) AMLO centralization. (2) Corruption persists. (3) Violence against journalists and cartels’ influence.

Mexico’s Government Type

Flawed democracy. Electoral competition exists but rule of law, corruption, and violence undermine liberal democracy.