Mexico's New Era of Politics: The Challenges and Opportunities Facing It
Mexican voters selected Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of the leftist Morena party as president in 2018. This marked an historic shift in Mexico?s political landscape.
After suffering its loss of control in governorships, the PRI and its leaders are now scrambling to rebuild its national base.
Mexico's Political Parties
Soon, Mexico will have a president with different political aims and priorities than those seen previously. AMLO embraces an idealistic economic vision reminiscent of Mexico?s past while dismissing experts and civil society from policymaking processes. He advocates passionately for his presidency while dismissing experts and civil society from policymaking roles; furthermore he plans to significantly alter nonpartisan INE ratings, dissolve government agencies and overhaul energy policy across Mexico.
Although Trump won a strong majority in the 2018 elections, he will unlikely secure a supermajority in Congress or all state legislatures and governorships - forcing him to work closely with opposition figures and autonomous bodies to protect democracy from further eroding.
In Pakistan, major political parties are experiencing increasing polarization; coalitions are becoming more common as a result. Although this trend could be considered beneficial, it could make fulfilling campaign promises harder; all actors involved must address this challenge together, both domestically and internationally. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is an independent non-profit based out of Washington DC which does not reflect views or activities of donors, board trustees or staff.
Mexico's Electoral System
The Federal Electoral Tribunal (TEPJF), also part of the judicial branch, oversees elections for President, members of Congress and local authorities as well as resolves electoral disputes and certifies election results.
Recently, TEPJF has made it more challenging for candidates with only a plurality of votes to gain presidential office, by restricting the maximum number of seats a party can win to 300 and decreasing its maximum level of overrepresentation from eight percentage points down to eight points. Furthermore, more female representatives than ever before now reside within both houses - more than 50%!
Political corruption remains a serious problem in Mexico, with billions in illegal drug money pouring in every year, as well as rampant public contract fraud and other methods of siphoning state funds. Corruption within local governments and police forces has contributed significantly to Mexico?s security problems - leading to large scale violence and human rights violations as well as high impunity rates among officers involved in these practices.
Mexico's new political era has witnessed a shift away from globally-minded centrist administrations that held power after democratization in the 1990s, to an inward-looking economic vision reminiscent of statism; at the same time it has created more space for civil society organizations that have yet to exert their full potential influence.
Mexico's Political Institutions
Mexico continues its transformation towards greater democracy, its institutions face increased strain due to democratic demands and social transformation. Furthermore, an evolving dynamic between executive and legislative branches has increased political relevance among voters while some institutions' fragility remains an issue.
In 2021, citizens participated in free and fair elections that produced results that saw Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and his MORENA party claim victory, though there were significant gains by opposition candidates in large cities.
But even as his party gains control at subnational levels, Lopez Obrador still faces considerable difficulties when it comes to governing and building consensus within his governing coalition. One such challenge lies with his grudge against INE for certifying results of 2006 presidential election which he narrowly lost; international observers had acknowledged this result as reflecting the legitimate will of Mexican citizens.
Civil society continues its fight for democracy that includes mechanisms that ensure citizen rights in all aspects of life, from non-electoral fields such as non-violence to education and beyond. Led by victims of state and criminal violence, this struggle for democratic transformation from below transcends political parties while challenging illiberal ruling elites; unfortunately impunity for crimes like homicide and corruption remain widespread at high levels.
Mexico's Corruption Problems
Mexico suffers from widespread corruption, with one third of Mexicans believing most or all government officials are corrupt (BTI 2018). Mexico ranks poorly on the GCI corruption index due to high impunity levels and weak institutions; police officers face an especially high corruption risk: Businesses often experience corruption when dealing with the police while two-thirds of households think most or all officers are corrupt (GCR 2017-2018).
Recent years have witnessed several high-profile corruption scandals unfold within Mexico's government. President Enrique Pena Nieto stands accused of misusing his official residence for personal use while purchasing USD 7 Million worth of luxury items without paying taxes (The Guardian, Jul 2016).
Human rights defenders have been killed as a result of their work, often at the hands of criminal groups operating with impunity across numerous areas and linked to local, state, and federal security forces who may also be engaged in corruption. Since becoming President, AMLO has attempted to address these problems through his "hugs not bullets" strategy which seeks to reduce gang violence by targeting socioeconomic drivers of crime as well as fight corruption by holding state governments accountable while decreasing power within federal bureaucracies.
