The election of Mayor Sheinbaum reflects the effect of the gender-quota law passed in 1996 in Mexico as women were required to be 30% of legislation (raised to 50% by 2015), giving Sheinbaum more opportunity to be elected. Her election was a reflection of 20 years of women-led pushes for equality.

Mexico was first a colony of Spain, but gained its independence in the early 1800s. As a result of the Mexican-American War, Mexico lost about half of its territory to the U.S. Describe the time from the foundation of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) to the present. When did Mexico become a democracy?

Porfirio Diaz consolidated power in Mexico through bribery and intimidation nad founded an authoritarian regime that allowed him to rule from 1986 to 1910. After serving for 6 terms and breaking a promise to retire in 1910, anti-Diaz rebels began the Mexican Revolution which created the modern Mexican state but also resulted in more than seventy years of rule from the Institutional REvolutionary Party (PRI). The PRI embraced a democratic constitution in 1917 yet formed another authoritarian regime from 1929-200. The PRI moved from traditional policies in the early 1980s which in turn led to the creation of the National Democratic Front. In 2000, Vicente Fox of the National Action Party (PAN) broke PRI’s seventy-one year monopoly on the presidency.

What type of government does Mexico have?

Mexico is a democracy. However, corruption and human-rights abuses is still rampant and prevents Mexico from becoming a full liberal democracy.

Since 2000, political power in Mexico has changed parties several times, but some still worry that Mexico could fall back into authoritarianism. What steps could the Mexican government take to strengthen state sovereignty?

Firstly, the Mexican government can provide more aid and benefits to citizens that the cartel is providing currently to citizens. Although it may be hard, they also need to work on weakening the drug cartel’s power on many neighborhoods and regions where civil workers are becoming corrupt because of the cartels.

Like the US, Mexico has 3 branches of government: Executive, Legislative, & Judicial.

Executive Branch:
1. Why is the Mexican President both the head of state and the head of government?
  1. Because Mexico is a presidential system, the two rules are fused.
2. What is the “cabinet”?
  1. They are departments in specific policy ares, such as treasury and defense.
3. What is the term of office of the Mexican President?
  1. sexenio
4. Who is the current president of Mexico? What party does he represent and what are some of his policies?
  1. The current president in the textbook is AMLO. He is from the MORENA party and focuses on the interests of everyday citizens and criticizing the elite 1% citizens.
How did democratization decrease the power of the Mexican president?

It creates more accountability for the president and prevents him from making decisions recklessly and only for his own interest. He is held accountable for those who voted for him and his cabinet.

Legislative Branch:
1. Explain the bicameral structure of Mexico’s legislative branch:
  1. Mexico has two chambers, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house yet has more power over legislation. They levy taxes, approve the budget, and certify elections. The Senate has the power to confirm presidential appointments to the cabinet and Supreme Court, ratify treaties, and approve intervention by the federal government into events occuring in states. The Senate represents the states.
2. How has Mexico’s multiparty system lost stability since 2000?
  1. The MORENA lost seats in 2021, making it harder for AMLO to pass policies as well as causing it to lose the supermajority necessary to pass constitutional amendments.
3. How would a “divided government”, with opposing parties controlling the Executive and at least one house of the Legislative branch serve to slow the expansion of presidential power?
  1. A divided government would cause the legislature to serve as more of a check on the executive branch, which might curtail the expansion of presidential power.
Judicial Branch:
1. How does one become a Supreme Court magistrate in Mexico and for how long do members of the Supreme Court serve?
  1. Supreme Court magistrates are appointed by the president and approved by the Senate. They serve for fifteen-year terms.
2. What does it mean that the judiciary has the power of judicial review?
  1. It means that the judiciary has the power to declare that federal or state government actions violate the Constitution.
3. What are criticisms of Mexico’s judicial system?
  1. The Mexican judicial branch is heavily plagued by corruption and their rule of law is very weak. They also have a lack of accountability and their law enforcement fails to counter security crises.
Free and fair elections are a hallmark of democracy. How is Mexico’s President elected (be sure to use the terms plurality and mandate in your answer).

The Mexican president is directly elected by a plurality of the vote, meaning te candidate who gets the most votes wins, even if he or she does not earn more than 50 percent of the vote (similar to FTPT voting). This election method may also be difficult for presidents as those who did not win a majority may find it difficult to claim a mandate, which is the broad support of the people to carry out proposed policies.

What was the practice of el dedazo and since its end, how are Presidential candidates chosen in Mexico?

The practice of El Dedazo meant that the sitting president would choose his successor. This strengthened authoritarian regimes as the people had no say in their next leader. PRI eliminated el dedazo in 1988 and paved the way for party primaries, where party members choose their nominee.

What are the two chambers of Mexico’s legislature called?
1. The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies
2. Why is the Chamber of Deputies election a “mixed electoral system”?
  1. The Representatives include both single-member districts and seats awarded through proportional representation.
3. How are Mexico’s Senators elected?
  1. Each of Mexico’s thirty-one states as well as Mexico city elects two senators through an SMD system, one seat is awarded to the party that came in second in each state and Mexico city and the last 32 are chosen through proportional representation.
What are Mexico’s rules about female representation in the legislature?

Mexico requires that women must be at least 50 percent of candidates run by political parties for SMD seats.

Describe Mexico’s political party system. Include the names and acronyms of the major parties and a brief explanation of their positions and coalitions.

Mexico is a multiparty system. These parties include PRI, PRD, PAN, and MORENA.

What is the difference between corporatism and pluralism when it comes to interest groups?

Corporatism is the idea that each interest in society (labor unions, business groups, and agricultural associations) should be represented by one organization authorized by the government (peak association). Plurality, however, allows for groups to form and advocate for their interests outside of the government control.

What is the Zapatista movement? What is its connection to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?
1. The Zapatista rebellion was formed by indigenous migrants who gathered for an unspecified future rebellion. Their catalyst was NAFTA was the Mexican government removed Article 17 to create room for NAFTA which allowed land reserved for the indigenous to be bought and sold to wealthy individuals.
2. How did the Zapatista move from violent to nonviolent tactics and how did this attract international attention?

The Zapatista movement became nonviolent after receiving heavy military response, and they began to focus on indigenous rights and class-based inequality. They received international recognition because of the military’s repression of indigenous rights and class-based inequality.

Make sure you note the difference between civil liberties and civil rights.
1. Civil liberties are the fundamental rights and freedoms protected from infringement by the government, including freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and the right to peaceably assemble. Civil rights are protections granted by the government to prevent people from being discriminated against when engaged in fundamental political actions.
2. How is the danger facing journalists an example of the rule of law being weak in Mexico?
  1. Journalists reporting on police wrongdoing, drug cartels, and government corruption are at high risk of being hurt or killed. Criminal organizations successfully use violence to achieve their goals and government officials and non-state actors engage in human-rights abuse.
3. Explain the connection between human rights abuses and the government’s failure to prosecute these crimes in Mexico.
  1. Human-rights advocates report intimidation and threats of physical harm and even the National Guard were unable to defend against El Chapo’s men’s attempt to free him, killing 13 people and allowing 29 prisoners to escape.
Explain how the Mexican government could address inequalities between the north and south and between mestizos and indigenous people.

The Mexican government should include the indigenous people in discussions regarding natural resources, which would likely help mestizos see them in an equal light. Unfair representation makes them seem unimportant to Mexican citizens.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of Mexico’s economic-liberalization politics?
1. Describe the impact of import substitution industrialization (ISI) on the Mexican economy.
  1. ISI policies reduce dependence on other countries by enacting high tariffs to make foreign products more expressive so that consumers would purchase goods made within Mexico. The government also offered subsidies and incentives to encourage the growth of domestic manufacturing.
2. Pemex has been both government controlled and privatized. What has the economic impact been?
  1. It allowed PEMEX to remain in control over significant oil fields after it was limited from reaping full benefits of its oil fields as Mexico’s haphazard infrastructure development limited them previously.
3. How did NAFTA contribute to economic inequality in Mexico?
  1. Inequality increased as the wealthy benefited from the new business opportunities provided by economic liberalization while the average wage dropped by 40 percent and the minimum wages dropped by 70.
4. Describe the policies of Pres. Lopez Obrador in relation to the Mexican economy.

Obrador promised to move away from Mexico’s economic-liberalization model and toward state-led development focused on the poor. He also wanted to renationalize key industries, build infrastruc in the poorest areas, double the minimum wage at the US border, raise the salaries of police, teachers, and doctors and revive PEMEX.

What type of social policies could Mexico enact in an effort to reduce income inequality?
1. Describe Mexico’s policy about women’s healthcare and how its federal system impacts this issue.
  1. Abortion policy varies by state although it is illegal under federal law. All states waive the penalty of abortion in the case of rape.
2. What is the Prospera program and how could its end impact Mexico?
  1. A conditional cash-transfer program administered by the federal government. Eligible poor and vulnerable households are given cash in exchange for an agreement to send their children to school. Program staff worked closely with the families they were serving. The program also improved food consumption, decreased malnutrition and increased school enrollment. The Prospera program represents the link between social and economic policies because the citizens contributed more to the economic success of their families and country.

In your opinion, what are the biggest successes in Mexico since becoming a democratic state in 2000, and what are the biggest challenges facing Mexico?
1. I think their biggest successes were implementation of female representation in government positions, and the Prospera program that boosted social and economic wellbeing. The biggest challenge they face is becoming a legitimate liberal democracy as they are still crippled by vast corruption.
Who is the current President of Mexico and which party controls the Legislature?
1. The current President of Mexico is Claudia Sheinbaum and the party controlling the Legislature is the MORENA party.
This course focuses on five themes, or “Big Ideas”. As we study each country, we will connect to these themes. They are:
1. Power and Authority
2. Legitimacy and Stability
3. Democratization
4. Internal and External forces
5. Methods of political analysis

Pick one big idea and connect it to an example from the chapter.

An example of democratization in Mexico can be seen through the implementation of a single use limited term (Sexenio). It can also be seen through their implementation of the SMD election system and abolishment of el dedazo, which allows citizens a say in who their next political leader will be.

Notes, Terms, Questions, Summaries