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MEXICAN GOVERNMENT.
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Radical change due to election of Vicente Fox of the National Actioin Party (PAN) & defeat of Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) after 71 years of control. Move toward a functioning federal government.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Radical change due to election of Vicente Fox of the National Actioin Party (PAN) & defeat of Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) after 71 years of control. Move toward a functioning federal government.
Paper Introduction:
All who have borne witness to the recent transformation of Mexican politics seem to agree that the election of Vicente Fox- point-man of the National Action Party (PAN)- equates to nothing short of political revolution. The government of Mexico has, for the past 71 years, been controlled by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which has employed but one political agenda: to retain power at all costs. Therefore, Mexico has suffered; existing as a one-party, essentially authoritarian state under the transparent guise of federalism. Elections in Mexico, though held every six years, have been consistently rigged -- manipulated by way of ballot stuffing, bribery, coercion, intimidation, even murder. The time for change has come, and the people of Mexico appear to be seizing the day (Krauze, 1999, p. 18).
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Since the close of World War II, theLabor Party and the Conservative Party have dominated the system, with theLabor Party winning seven general elections in that time and theConservative Party winning eight (Britain in the USA, 1999, www.britain-info.org). Obviously, this is in sharp contrast withMexico, which until recently had experienced only one party in power for 71consecutive years. Of course, Mexico has not reached this juncture. 18). InMexico, the aim is to make the democracy work, and develop an inclusionaryrelationship between the constituency and the elected officials. B22). 7). The time for change has come, and the people of Mexico appearto be seizing the day (Krauze, 1999, p. All who have borne witness to the recent transformation of Mexicanpolitics seem to agree that the election of Vicente Fox- point-man of theNational Action Party (PAN)- equates to nothing short of politicalrevolution. In Great Britain, the political institution is much more firmlyestablished. The fact that power in Great Britain has changed hands 15 timesin 55 years indicates that the parliamentary system typically cratesgovernments of short duration. Fox, using political savvy and positivecampaigning, managed to instill in poor Mexican peasants the courage todefy intimidation and reject bribes in favor of voting for democracy andsocial progress(Morris, 2 , p. The existence of competing parties that reside in all branches ofgovernment will ideally allow Mexico to create and maintain a checks andbalances system that can resolve conflict in the halls of legislation:legitimately, representatively, and with no one branch or group holdingauthoritarian power over the rest. It diffused political dissent by permitting andeven financing it"(2 , p. The importance of the new "MexicanRevolution" cannot be understated; independent Senator Adolfo AguilarZinser explains that in Mexico, the victory of the PAN over the PRI is"comparable to the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of apartheid, and thevote to oust Pinochet all, all rolled into one"(Business Week, 2 , p.38). Works Cited"The Beginning of the End of the Longest Ruling Party." The Economist(US), June 24, 2 v355 i8176 p25."Centre and States: Mexico." The Economist(US), Sept. The structure of thegovernment is certainly changing at a fast clip. And adictatorship it has been. 15). With the creation of the most democratically-held election process inrecent memory, the establishment of a multi-party system in which allparties are legitimate, and a return to a truer sense of federalism, thereis no telling how far Mexico may go. It is understood that true democracy isdifficult to establish in any environment, however, both Great Britain andMexico have committed themselves to the democratic process, with differentagendas. The significance of Fox'svictory (as well as the PRD's impressive stand) is immense; the PRImaintained it's tried-and-true habit of bribing and intimidating and ballot-box stuffing throughout these most recent elections (The Nation, 2 , p.3). British political theoristStuart Weir sums up the effect of the multi-party system when he writes,"we are unique among Western nations in giving a single party control ofboth government and the popular assembly based on a minority of the vote atgeneral elections"(1994, p. As The Economist explained in1995, Mexico's government has maintained up to now only a "technicallyfederal structure"- when in actuality the "president has ruled as anabsolute monarch"(p. Vicente Fox won thepresidency on behalf of the PAN with a clear majority of the vote, althoughthe Mexican Congress is divided along multi-party lines and is without aworking majority. Jointly the threegoverning bodies pass laws, provide the government with funds, and (in theHouse of Lords) debate policy and relevant issues of the day (Britain inthe USA, 1999, www.britain-info.org). Now, amidst the recent defeat of the PRI by the PAN, a new phase ofMexican politics is here, one that may be characterized by genuine partycompetition, fair and honest elections, and ultimately, true democracy. 18). 38; Krauze, 1999, p. The lion's share of Mexico's success can be attributed to Vicente Foxand the Mexican people. Thus, for 71 years, there has been onlyone political institution of any significance in Mexico: the presidency. 25). As a voting nation, Mexico is also experiencing the rewards of a moredemocratically held, corruption free election. Mexico's governing body, fashioned in the style of federalism, has aPresident as well as a Congress, which is composed of a Senate and aChamber of Deputies. In Great Britain, the goal is to define a true majority rule. Today, with the emergence of Vicente Fox and the PAN, trueopposition has triumphed in Mexico for the first time in the better part ofa century, and thus the people of Mexico may finally have an opportunity toenjoy the federalist system that has heretofore been no more than a ruse(Business Week, 2 , p. These three majorparties do in some way reflect the party-system in Mexico- also a statewith three major parties competing for power. 15). Mexico has never been a true democracy. The PRI has Always Evolved." Time International, August 16, 1999 v154 i6 p18."Making History in Mexico." The Economist(US), July 8, 2 v356 i8178 p18."Mexican Revolution." Business Week, July 17, 2 i369 p38."Mexico's Triumph." The Nation, July 24, 2 v271 i4 p3.Morris, Dick. "A 'Perfect Dictatorship' Shows the Strain: Mexico, Tragedy Played as Farce." World Press Review, May 1995 v42 n5 p15(2)."How is Britain Governed?" Britain in the USA(1999). The parliamentary system in Britain relies upon the existence of atleast two competing political parties in the House of Commons. The PAN, though a victorwith Fox in the presidency, has not secured a working majority in eitherhouse of Congress. Retrieved October 7 from the World Wide Web: www.britain-info.org.Krauze, Enrique. Obviously, this will present an interesting seriesof challenges to a government that is accustomed to authoritarian rule. On the contrary, it willbe a legitimate force in determining the path Mexico's new government. The leaderof the party which wins the most seats in a general election is invited toform a government, and he or she then becomes Prime Minister (Britain inthe USA, 1999, www.britain-info.org). On the contrary, men such asPeruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa have referred to Mexico's politicalsystem as "the perfect dictatorship"(Fuser, 1995, p. A unique phenomenon thusoccurs in Great Britain (and may well occur in Mexico): a fragmentation ofthe populace that can result in minority rule. In this sense, Mexico and Great Britain are both similarand dissimilar. The PRI is naturally losing ground at the Congressionallevel, but the PAN is not the only party that has positioned itself as"opposition"(The Economist, 2 , p. The political revolution in Mexicohas ultimately been a success for the common people, who have remainedstrong in the face of legendary opposition. 39). "A Weak Constitution: Compared With Other Western Nations, Britain Gives Little Power to the People." New Statesman & Society, 1994, v7 n3 pB22. The government of Mexico has, for the past 71 years, beencontrolled by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which hasemployed but one political agenda: to retain power at all costs.Therefore, Mexico has suffered; existing as a one-party, essentiallyauthoritarian state under the transparent guise of federalism. Inthe July 2 elections, after a protracted struggle to forge institutionsthat could assure a relatively clean vote, Mexicans finally had a chance to"kick the bums out"; Vicente Fox received 16 million votes against thePRI's Francisco Labastida's 13 million. The PRI, since its inception in 1929 (under adifferent name) has obeyed one rule: to resolve conflicts of interest amongthe elite without bloodshed (Fuser, 1995, p. The British Parliament has three components:the House of Commons (1), an elected body consisting of 659 paid members,the House of Lords (2), an un-elected body consisting of hereditarymembers, senior bishops of the Church, and others nominated mainly by themajor political parties, and the Monarch (3), an un-elected post that islargely ceremonial and traditionally impartial. Far from the turbulent, borderline revolutionary climate inMexico, Great Britain has a parliamentary democracy firmly in place.Citizens of Great Britain have the right to vote for the parliament andgovernment of their choosing. Therefore, much like in the United States, the party incontrol of the Executive branch will experience a degree of conflict withthe Legislative branch. The Party of the DemocraticRevolution (PRD) candidate took 6 million votes. Mexico's new government is just four months old, and theramifications and nuances of that government are difficult to perceive soearly in the game. Of course, partygridlock is the risk in any federalist system that does not allow oneminority faction to govern disproportionately. 3). Inthis regard, Mexico has a mixed-party system, which will naturally make theachievement of a working majority more difficult. However, it is of chief importance to note that an able comparisonbetween the political institutions of Great Britain and Mexico is hard tocome by. However, in addition to the Labor Party and the Conservative Party, athird party also exists in Great Britain: the Liberal Democrats (formed in1988)(Britain in the USA, 1999, www.britain-info.org). 18). "Do Dinosaurs Have Five Lives? It's a tall order, but one that appears to be in the making in Mexico. The Mexican Congress, newly divided along shifting party lines(with no one party holding a pure majority), will necessarily struggle tofind a center. Today, with the long-standing PRI in a state ofrapid decline, the Mexican government is experiencing a true federalistrevival. However, most significant to Mexico's new federal government and itsmulti-party system is the emergence of a true balance of power. "Outfoxed: What Happened to Mexico's Ruling Party." National Review, July 31, 2 p7.Weir, Stuart. The PRI's genius,explains The Economist, has been to "cultivate loyalty using repressiononly as a last resort. The democratic process willserve them well. Time, asalways, will determine how successful each nation is in these endeavors. Electionsin Mexico, though held every six years, have been consistently rigged --manipulated by way of ballot stuffing, bribery, coercion, intimidation,even murder. And yet Mexico has an added element worth considering thatdistinguishes it from the US style of Federalism; third party opposition.Mexico's PDR is by no means an ineffectual body. Both governments do (thankfully) share one indomitablecharacteristic: democracy. For Mexicans, this means finally getting what has been denied to themso long: a functioning federal government. Even withFox controlling the presidency, a split Congress and a mixed batch of localofficials will make government in Mexico more responsive to the public andmore mindful of itself. 2, 1995 v336 n193 p38(2).Fuser, Igor. As such, the PRI hasearned the distinction of having become the longest-lasting authoritarianregime of the 2 th century(The Nation, 2 , p. Great Britain's parliamentary democracy is hardly inits infancy. Functioning at the State level, Mexico holds localelections.
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