Study Notes on Mexican Political Structure and Society

Political Structure in Mexico

  • Electoral System Overview

    • As of January 27, 2020, Mexican Senate consists of 128 senators.

    • Current political distribution:

    • Morena: 51 senators

    • PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party): 32 senators

    • PAN (National Action Party): 25 senators

    • Additional Parties: 14 senators and 7 elected from various smaller parties.

  • Parties and Political Representation

    • Morena enjoys a majority with 51%.

    • Key parties for the second seat are PRI and PAN, each with 32 and 25 senators respectively.

    • The electoral landscape has dynamic shifts, reflecting the population's choice.

Legislative Functions in Mexico

  • Roles of the Legislative Branch

    • Responsible for making and proposing laws.

    • Involves amending existing laws and notifying relevant bodies to follow through on these laws.

  • Judicial Involvement

    • Courts are required to follow the laws enacted by the legislative branch.

    • Judicial Review can declare laws unconstitutional, an independent action to ensure rule of law is maintained.

  • Constitutional Principles

    • Equality before the law is a foundational principle.

    • Rule of law must be upheld, ensuring that laws are applied equally to all individuals.

Challenges in the Political System

  • Structural Issues

    • Corruption remains a significant problem within the political and judicial systems.

    • Notable phrase reflecting systemic corruption: "Silver or lead—either you are bribed or killed" illustrates the severe consequences of tackling corruption.

  • Judicial Independence and Issues

    • Judicial authority can be undermined by political influences, leading to dismissals of significant cases or concerns about judicial fairness and effectiveness.

Elections and Political Qualifications

  • Current Political Climate

    • Current elections are influenced by the public's preferences and perceptions of political parties.

    • Elections and the qualification path are subject to reforms and scrutiny for improvement.

  • Legislative Reforms Post-2014

    • Legislative changes are implemented to improve electoral processes, making them more transparent and fair.

Government Structure

  • Direct Elections

    • Government officials are directly elected by the populace rather than appointed.

  • Executive Power

    • The term length for officials is outlined to be a maximum of six years (termed as "sexenio").

  • Bureaucracy Characteristics

    • Mexican bureaucracy is often viewed as unprofessional and ineffective due to low pay and patron-client networks leading to bribery and corruption.

Political Culture and Cleavages

  • Defined Political Cleavages

    • Cleavages within the society manifest in political tensions, often categorized into coinciding and cross-cutting forms.

    • Coinciding Cleavages

    • Significant divisions exist related to race, particularly between the Mestizo and Indigenous populations.

    • Gender disparities highlighted by the pay gap and opportunities available to women.

    • Social issues such as prevalent violence against women (femicide) prompting widespread protests and legislative changes regarding domestic violence.

    • Recent reforms include decriminalization of abortion in several states, enforcing gender quotas requiring half of legislative seats to be filled by women.

  • Cross-Cutting Cleavages

    • Occurs when different divisions work against each other, allowing different groups to form coalitions and support.

Conclusion

  • The political system in Mexico is marked by shared governance issues, electoral dynamics, corruption challenges, and robust social movements advocating for reform in gender equality and judicial integrity.