Comparative Government Mexico

LeFores AP Comparative Government Mexico Test

Mexico Presidential system

**The Constitution of 1917** established a directly elected President (Head Of State & Head Of Government) as well as an elected national legislature

Type of government is Mexico

The Federal Republic

What is a Federal Republic

**the national government shares power with state governments**

Proof of a Federalist government

**Abortion laws are good example of varied policies under Federalism**

How did the Mexican government act under PRI rule

Authoritarian State

Dominate religion in Mexico

Catholicism

Examples of Mexico being a corporatism political structure

linkage institutions created and supported by government for interest groups based on corporate grouping

Examples of pluralist system

citizens can more “Freely” participate with independent interest groups to attempt to shape public policies both locally and nationally

How does Mexico gain legitimacy

Constitution of 1917

What challenges Mexican legitimacy

Drug Cartels

Reforms that add to Integrity of Electoral Process

Secret Ballot, National Voter ID card, Independent Electoral Commission, Presidential Debate system, End of El Dedazo 

Fragile State Index

Scale 0-10, 0 being very stable and 10 being on the brinks of collapse

Does Mexico have a high or low FSI

High

Presidential jobs

commander in chief of the military, heads Mexico’s Foreign Policy, and federal bureaucracy

Patron Client relationship

a mutual arrangement between a person that has authority, social status, wealth, or some other personal resource and another who benefits from their support or influence

Who was the patron in Mexico's government

PRI government

Who was the client in Mexico's government

Private business, citizen groups/ interest groups, citizens

How did patron Client relationship affect Mexico

The government gave jobs to “clients” in return the clients would vote for PRI and financially as well

what is El Dedazo

“Fingering” the process of the President “pointing” to the candidate that they most want to win the presidential election

What is Sexcenio

a single presidential term that lasts 6 years

Presidential Election method

Plurality, whoever has the most votes wins

What is the lower house

Chamber of Deputies

What is the lower house election method

300 seats are SMD (FPTP), 200 are PR (party lists) 

What does the lower house do

 approves legislation & levies taxes

Lower house term

4 term limit, Terms are 3 years

upper house election method

Partially directly elected in multi-member state elections (3 per state), Partially PR (party list)

what does the upper house do

confirm Presidential appointments, approve treaties and approve federal intervention into state matters

Term limit upper house

2 term limit of 6 year terms

Is the judicial system legitimate

No

Can the court use judicial review

yes

how are magistrates appointed

nominated by the President and approved by the Senate for a 15 year term

1985 Mexico City Earthquake impact

Increased democratization has been traced to potential origins related to the participation of civil society groups

How many people died in the 1985 earthquake

5,000 citizens

PRI impact of the Earthquake

seemed incapable of addressing the devastation which left 5 million without electricity or drinkable water

What civil society groups developed from the earthquake

Rescue those trapped in rubble, Address the electricity and water problems, Organized pressure on the PRI government to address housing and reconstruction for the poor in Mexico City

What political party was created after the earthquake

PRD

The 1988 election fraud led to…

 set off a chain reaction to put pressure on Mexico to reform elections in the 1990s which led to the Fox election in 2000 and 3 non-PRI Presidents since 2000

Ethnic cleavage

Mestizo v. Amerindian

Zapitista movement 1990s

Less affluent, indigenous peoples of southern Mexico protest and attack government buildings to demand land rights and economic benefits.  Also opposed NAFTA

1968 Protest

protests about treatment of the poor in Mexico City led to government shooting protests

Freedom of Information Act (FIA)

Allows privatized media (broadcast and print) which is able to express political dissent

Gender quotas

Parties must present women as 40% of their candidates (this has led to around 30% female representation in Congress)

Federal Election Institution

 to regulate elections with the intent to reduce voter fraud and manipulation and ensure electoral competition

Conservative Party

Nationalist Action Party (PAN)

Left of Center Party

Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD)

catch all party

Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)

New left party

formed as a political alliance in 2014 by Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of PRD and other leftist ideological parties

Yo Soy #132

Mexicans believed Televisa (largest media co in Mexico) was biased towards PRI Candidate Enrique Pena Nieto in 2012, Students come to campaign rallies to draw attention to this incident and Nieto’s role, first time social media matters

What is the Structural Adjustment Program

The IMF gives loans in exchange Mexico had to stop government deficits, reduce spending, privatize many state owned businesses (to raise cash) and open borders to free trade

What is the Gini Coefficient

measures income distribution across a population with a 0 meaning perfect equality and a 1 being lots of inequality

What is Mexico’s Gini Coefficient

43

What is PEMEX

Government owned oil company that the government profits off of

Economic Liberalization effect on Mexico

**reforms initiated by PRI in the 1990s were followed by electoral reforms which increased political competition in a multi-party system in the year 2000**

What are Maquiladora Zones

removal of agricultural subsidies have shifted population to urban areas and out of rural areas, from the south (and central) to the north

90% of Mexico’s exports are to where

USA

Mexico’s abortion policy

vary by local government which strengthens federalism