Mexico's Political System Overview

These flashcards cover key concepts and details from Mexico's political system, historical context, political parties, civil society, economic policies, and more.

Describe Mexico’s political system and structure of power.

Mexico is a federal presidential republic, featuring a robust separation of powers among its executive (President), legislative (bicameral Congress), and judicial (Supreme Court) branches, ensuring checks and balances within a democratic framework.

What is the sexenio, and how does it shape political accountability?

The sexenio is Mexico's strict six-year presidential term, which constitutionally prohibits reelection. This mechanism was established to ensure a peaceful transfer of power, prevent authoritarianism, and limit a president's influence, but it can also reduce accountability since leaders don't face direct electoral consequences for their actions after their term.

How is the Mexican legislature structured and elected?

Mexico's bicameral Congress consists of: 1. A Chamber of Deputies with 500 members: 300 are elected by simple plurality in single-member districts (SMD), and 200 are allocated via proportional representation (PR) from five multi-member regions. 2. A Senate with 128 members: 3 per state (2 by plurality, 1 to the first runner-up) and 32 via national PR, all serving six-year terms.

What checks and balances exist among Mexico’s branches of government?

Key checks include: The Legislature can impeach the President and approve the national budget. The Executive holds veto power over legislation. The Judiciary exercises judicial review, capable of assessing the constitutionality of laws and executive actions, particularly strengthened after the 1994 reforms.

Compare policymaking in Mexico and the U.K.

Policymaking in Mexico is generally slower due to its federal system, strong presidential powers, and strict separation of powers, requiring more negotiation between branches and different levels of government. In contrast, the U.K.'s parliamentary system allows for faster policymaking because the executive (Prime Minister and cabinet) is drawn from and typically controls the legislative majority.

What triggered the 1910–1920 Mexican Revolution?

The Mexican Revolution was fueled by widespread discontent against Porfirio Díaz’s 35-year dictatorial rule. Key causes included extreme social inequality, demands for land reform (redistribution from large landowners), calls for labor rights (better working conditions and wages), and the yearning for genuine democracy and political participation.

What are the key principles of the 1917 Constitution?

The 1917 Constitution is foundational, emphasizing: 1. Agrarian reform: Mandating land redistribution. 2. Labor rights: Establishing an eight-hour workday, minimum wage, and the right to organize unions. 3. Limits on the Catholic Church: Separating church and state and restricting the Church's political and economic power. 4. National sovereignty: Asserting state control over natural resources, particularly subsoil rights.

How did the 1917 Constitution shape modern political legitimacy?

The 1917 Constitution rooted government authority in the ideals of the revolution, enabling subsequent regimes (especially the PRI for decades) to legitimize their rule by presenting themselves as 'revolutionary guardians' upholding its principles. This provided a powerful narrative for national unity and state-led development.

How did the PRI dominate Mexico for most of the 20th century?

The Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) maintained power for over 70 years through a combination of strategies: 1. Patron-clientelism: Granting favors and resources in exchange for political support. 2. Corporatism: Integrating various social and economic groups (labor unions, peasant organizations) under state control, ostensibly giving them a voice while ensuring party loyalty. 3. Electoral manipulation: Employing various forms of fraud, media control, and intimidation to secure election victories.

Identify Mexico’s major political parties and their ideologies.

Mexico's major parties include: 1. PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party): Historically centrist, big-tent, pragmatist, now often associated with technocratic governance. 2. PAN (National Action Party): Center-right, advocating for free markets, democratic transparency, and conservative social values. 3. PRD (Party of the Democratic Revolution): Historically leftist, emphasizing social justice, economic nationalism, and secularism. 4. MORENA (National Regeneration Movement): Left-populist, led by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, prioritizing anti-corruption, social programs, and resource nationalism.

What is the role of the INE in Mexican elections?

The National Electoral Institute (INE) is Mexico's autonomous, independent electoral authority. Its role is comprehensive: it organizes, supervises, and validates federal and local elections, regulates campaign finance, registers voters, manages voter ID, and ensures impartiality, transparency, and fairness in the electoral process.

How does Mexico’s mixed-member electoral system work?

Mexico's mixed-member electoral system for the Chamber of Deputies combines two types of representation: 300 members are elected from single-member districts (SMD) by direct plurality vote, ensuring local accountability. The remaining 200 members are elected through proportional representation (PR) from regional party lists, aiming to ensure that the overall seat distribution in the Chamber accurately reflects the national popular vote for parties.

How have gender quotas shaped Mexican politics?

Gender parity laws in Mexico, particularly the 2014 constitutional amendment, mandate that 50% of candidates on party lists for federal and local legislative bodies must be women. These quotas have dramatically increased female representation in Congress and state legislatures, making Mexico a global leader in legislative gender parity.

What is civil society, and how has it evolved in Mexico?

Civil society encompasses voluntary organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and advocacy groups operating independently of the state. In Mexico, civil society expanded significantly post-1990s, especially after the 1985 earthquake and the 1994 Zapatista uprising, becoming more vocal in demanding transparency, human rights, environmental protection, and government accountability, playing a crucial role in the country's democratization.

How do regional and social cleavages shape politics?

Regional and social cleavages, particularly economic disparities between the industrialized North and the more agricultural South, and between urban and rural areas, profoundly influence Mexican politics. These divides manifest in varying voting patterns, distinct policy priorities and demands, and different levels of political participation and trust in institutions across the country.

What was the Zapatista uprising, and why is it significant?

The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) launched an armed uprising in Chiapas on January 1, 1994, the day NAFTA took effect. They protested NAFTA's neoliberal economic policies, which they argued would harm Indigenous communities, and demanded Indigenous rights, land, democracy, and justice. The uprising drew global attention to issues of Indigenous marginalization, globalization's impact, and democratic deficits in Mexico.

How has public support for democracy changed since 2000?

Since the historic democratic transition in 2000, public optimism for democracy in Mexico has largely declined. This erosion of support is primarily due to persistent issues like widespread corruption, rising violence (especially related to drug cartels), economic inequality, and perceived government ineffectiveness, leading to growing distrust in political institutions.

Define neoliberalism and identify Mexico’s economic reforms.

Neoliberalism is an economic philosophy advocating for free markets, privatization of state-owned enterprises, deregulation, reduced government spending, and free trade. Mexico initiated significant neoliberal reforms following the 1982 debt crisis, including privatizing parastatal companies (e.g., banks, airlines), reducing trade barriers, signing NAFTA, and emphasizing fiscal austerity and export-oriented growth.

How did the IMF and debt crisis reshape Mexico’s economy?

The 1982 debt crisis exposed Mexico's economic fragilities. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) provided bailout loans conditioned on structural adjustment policies, which included reduced government spending, privatization of state-owned industries, and opening markets. These measures stabilized inflation and fostered greater integration into the global economy but also led to increased social inequality and cuts to social programs.

What was the impact of NAFTA (1994) on Mexico?

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), implemented in 1994, eliminated most tariffs among Mexico, the U.S., and Canada. It significantly boosted Mexico's manufacturing sector and exports (especially to the U.S.), fostering industrial growth along the border. However, it also harmed subsistence agriculture due to competition from cheaper U.S. imports, displaced many farmers, and exacerbated regional economic inequalities.

Identify internal migration and economic trends since reforms.

Since the neoliberal reforms, Mexico has experienced stabilized inflation and fluctuating GDP growth. Economic restructuring led to significant internal migration from economically struggling rural areas and the poorer south to industrialized cities and the northern border regions, drawn by job opportunities in manufacturing and export-oriented industries.

Describe the structure and appointment of Mexico’s Supreme Court.

Mexico's Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation consists of 11 justices, who serve 15-year terms. They are nominated by the President and must be confirmed by a two-thirds vote in the Senate. The Court operates as Mexico's highest federal court, hearing appeals and ensuring the constitutionality of laws.

What is judicial review, and why was the 1994 reform significant?

Judicial review is the power of courts to assess the constitutionality of legislative acts and executive actions. The 1994 judicial reform was significant because it strengthened the judiciary’s independence, increased its budget, and explicitly granted the Supreme Court the power of judicial review to overturn laws, moving Mexico towards a more robust rule of law and limiting potential presidential abuses of power.

What challenges does Mexico’s judiciary face?

Mexico’s judiciary faces significant challenges, including widespread corruption (both within the system and from external pressures), intimidation and violence from powerful drug cartels, and historical political interference from the executive and legislative branches. These issues severely undermine judicial independence, public trust, and the effective enforcement of the rule of law.

What is the military’s constitutional role?

Constitutionally, the Mexican military (Secretariat of National Defense, SEDENA, and Secretariat of the Navy, SEMAR) is mandated to remain under civilian control, defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and assist in public emergencies and disaster relief. Its primary role is external defense, not internal security.

How has the military’s role changed since 2006?

Since 2006, when former President Felipe Calderón launched the 'War on Drugs,' the military has taken on an expanded and controversial role in domestic security, confronting organized crime and drug cartels. This increased military involvement in policing tasks has raised concerns about civilian oversight, militarization of public life, and human rights abuses.

How does militarization affect democracy and human rights?

The militarization of public security poses several risks to democracy and human rights. It can erode civilian oversight of security forces, lead to human rights abuses (such as arbitrary detentions, torture, and extrajudicial killings by military personnel), and undermine the development of professional, civilian-led police institutions, potentially weakening democratic governance and rule of law.

Compare Mexico’s political system to the U.K. ’s.

Mexico operates as a federal presidential republic with a strict separation of powers, where the President is directly elected and acts as head of state and government. In contrast, the U.K. is a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy, where the Prime Minister is selected from the legislature and acts as head of government, leading to a fusion of powers and typically faster policymaking.

Compare Mexico’s electoral system to Russia’s.

Both Mexico and Russia utilize mixed-member electoral systems for their legislatures, combining single-member districts and proportional representation. However, Mexico's National Electoral Institute (INE) is an independent body committed to ensuring fair, transparent, and genuinely competitive elections, while Russia's electoral system, despite its formal structure, is widely criticized for lacking genuine competition and being subject to significant state control and manipulation designed to maintain the ruling party's dominance.

How did Mexico’s democratization differ from other AP6 countries?

Mexico's democratization in 2000 was a peaceful, electoral transition achieved through competitive elections, marking the end of one-party rule by the PRI. This contrasts with other AP6 countries like Nigeria (transition from military rule), Russia (post-Soviet collapse), China (one-party authoritarianism with limited reforms), or Iran (theocratic regime established by revolution), which experienced different paths ranging from top-down imposition, revolutionary upheaval, or continued authoritarian control.