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MEXICO'S POLITICAL SYSTEM.
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Discusses the future of Mexico.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Discusses the future of Mexico. The democratization process of the country. Mexico's political awakening. Ending of the 71-year one-party rule. Increased awareness of need for institutional and democratic reforms. Increased citizen participation. Factor of gender politics. Reforms in the electoral process. Aspects of corruption and graft.
Paper Introduction:
MEXICO’S POLITICAL SYSTEM
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the future of Mexico’s political system and to provide an account of the country’s path to democracy. Various source materials that provide a divergence of opinions are analyzed in order to describe the democratization process of Mexico, and the reasons that the authors ascribe as to why this process occurred are discussed. In addition, an opinion is rendered as to which author provides the most convincing argument about Mexico’s future.
REVIEW OF SOURCE MATERIAL
Mexico’s political awakening is detailed in Chand’s (2001) aptly titled book: “Mexico’s Political Awakening”. In the introduction (Chand, 2001, pp. 1-11), the author summarizes his theories as to why a
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The article discusses the effects of the economic crisis, theearthquake, the role of emerging social society organizations, politicalreformism and the organization of opposition parties, human rightsmovements, and the resulting political awakening on Mexico's democratictransition. Democratic deepening is expected to removethese final aspects of the old authoritarian state. References Chand, V. However, Dominguez andPoire attribute the increase in political awareness not only to thefraudulent elections in 1988, but also to the shift in population age.Never before has Mexico had so many young, educated, politically active andbetter off people. 8 -81).Jonathan Fox's article "The difficult transition from clientelism tocitizenship" (1994, January) tries to explain the necessity of respect forthe full range of citizenship rights, i.e. What happened in Chihuahua, because of the state's importance in theoverall economy and the political awakening that occurred, spread as awildfire throughout Mexico. The final source of material is the anthology by Dominguez and Poire.Eight different authors present a facet of the path to Mexico'sdemocratization. The difficult transition from clientelismto citizenship: Lessons from Mexico. MEXICO'S POLITICAL SYSTEM The purpose of this paper is to discuss the future of Mexico'spolitical system and to provide an account of the country's path todemocracy. The author makes his point convincingly, and even indicateshurdles to overcome in the future, in order to continue the path todemocracy. In "An Electoral Route to Democracy?", Joseph Klesner (1998, July)explores Mexico's transition from the PRI's elitist rule to politicalliberalization and democratization through the emergence of a political andcivil society that allowed electoral participation.Klesner attributes the catalysts for this transitory state to threefactors: The debt crisis in 1982 which led to the nationalization ofMexico's banking system, which in turn provoked an economic crisis thatalienated the middle class; the government's tepid response to MexicoCity's devastating earthquake in 1985, which forced the creation ofnonpartisan, popular organizations that created associational alternativesto the PRI; and, "the change in the country's development strategy from aninward-oriented, import-substituting industrialization model toneoliberalism" (Klesner, 1998, p. Dominguez, & A. As such, it has an advantage over the other sourcematerials, in that it presents a wider divergence of opinions aboutMexico's transition to democracy, and discusses the various elements of thedemocratization process that contributed to this transition. 283). the PRI, the PAN, the Church,banking institutions, were all major players on the national level as well. Mexican Studies,16(2), 267-288. The title of Lawson's article indicates its narrow scope, i.e.democratization and authoritarian enclaves in Mexico. Poire Eds.), TowardMexico's Democratization (pp. This article draws onMexico's experience to illustrate the transition from clientelism, "arelationship based on political subordination in exchange for materialrewards" (p. the peasantry. The opportunities created by Mexico's joining NAFTA are explored byRafael Tamayo-Flores in "Mexico in the Context of the North AmericanIntegration: Major Regional Trends and Performance of Backward Regions"(2 1, pp. Tamayo-Flores, R. Distance impactreflecting transportation and communication costs are especially importantwhen the infrastructure is deficient. 153). In J. However, theauthor adheres too much importance to the 1988 election fraud as thecatalyst for political reforms, the fall of the PRI, and the subsequenttransition to democracy. In sum, Mexico's reforms in the national electoral process assure ademocratic state, but corruption, graft, and other left-overs from the oldauthoritarian regime still constrain a full democratic accountabilityacross the entire country. Journal of Latin American Studies, 33, 377-4 7. Some local fiefdoms still exist, butdemocratization at the local level combined with grassroots mobilizationand federal intervention are expected to stamp out these strongholds. 153) to citizenship, where "poor people gain access towhatever material resources the state has to offer without having toforfeit their right to articulate their interests autonomously" (p. "Since the early 198 s,drug trafficking and related violence have weakened what little resistancethere was to graft" (p. Thedegree of democratization is dependent on the level of conditionality thatis attached to the exercise of citizen's rights. This region has been overlooked inthe post-NAFTA years, when foreign direct investments were mainly aimed atfinancial services, telecommunications, and pharmaceuticals, which in turnhave severely restricted the development of export capacity.ANALYSIS AND COMMENTS To start with, Tamayo-Flores' article has little to do with the futureof Mexico's political system and its road to democracy, except to point outthe inequities of economic allocations, which may, or may not, bepolitically alleviated. Stevenson, L. One critical factor was the politicalawakening of society, when many Mexican citizens, fed up with thecorruption and election fraud that were so permeated within the PRI, joinedcivic organizations that promoted clean elections, or just joinedopposition parties. This book, in numerouschapters, also depicts the transformation of Mexico's electoral and partysystems toward fair and free elections, resulting in an increased awarenessand participation in Mexico's democratization. (1999). A very well rounded, balanced and presented article. However, as social unrestgrew in the 197 s, social groups sought greater autonomy, leading to astate of semi-clientelism. Poire (Eds), (1999), Toward Mexico'sDemocratization. New York, NY: Routledge. While the print media and radio haveevolved toward openness, television has made the least advances, and biasesin daily news coverage still persist. Various source materials that provide a divergence of opinionsare analyzed in order to describe the democratization process of Mexico,and the reasons that the authors ascribe as to why this process occurredare discussed. All the major social and political institutionsthat were active on the local level, i.e. (1994, January). "The Difficult Transition from Clientelism to Citizenship" by JonathanFox admirably documents Mexico's experience with Mexico's openings fromabove (PRI's elitists) meeting mobilization from below (the poor,illiterate, peasantry), and describes the resulting transition fromauthoritarianism to pluralism. the associational rights to thepolitical process, as a part of the democratic process.It is his contention that without this respect the transition fromauthoritarian to democratic regime can go through different stages. Chand's book on Mexico's political awakening ismainly a case study of the state of Chihuahua, indicating that it emergedas Mexico's most important arena for democratic change. Mexico's unfinished transition:Democratization and authoritarian enclaves in Mexico. In addition, gender politics became an important factor in the post1988 elections. This was characterized by the introduction ofthe Rural Investment Program and the Village Food Store Program, both ofwhich purported to help the poor without subjugating them to releasingtheir autonomy. The state of Oaxaca, which is thefocus of this article, is a poor, backward region, mainly involved inagricultural exports, notably coffee. Chand illustrates the rapid rise of the PAN as a majorforce, first in Chihuahua politics, and then on a national scale; theemergence of the Catholic Church as a crucial player in fosteringdemocracy; and the increasing role of civic associations in theirsuccessful attempts to democratization. While interesting as a case study, Chand's book only presents one,albeit very important, facet of Mexico's transition to democracy. These rural development reform programs, among others,allowed for better bargaining relations between the state and society,especially its poorest members, i.e. Dominguez, J. This is aptly illustratedin Lawson's "Mexico's Unfinished Transition: Democratization andAuthoritarian Enclaves in Mexico (2 , Summer, pp. However, notably absent from hisanalysis are the effects of the economic and banking collapse in the 198 s;the political and corruption scandals; the assassination attempts, and soforth. Each chapterpresents solid conclusions, and, as a whole, this book presents the mostcomplete picture of Mexico's transition from authoritarian state to ademocratic one. This formerly underrepresentedgroup created a number of female legislators, which is a step in thepositive association between women's advances in institutional politics andthe path toward democratization (Stevenson, 1999, pp. Klesner, J. In addition, an opinion is rendered as to which authorprovides the most convincing argument about Mexico's future.REVIEW OF SOURCE MATERIAL Mexico's political awakening is detailed in Chand's (2 1) aptlytitled book: "Mexico's Political Awakening". I. 267-288).Specifically, these enclaves include "the federal bureaucracy, thejudiciary, and portions of the mass media, as well as local fiefdomsdominated by unreconstructed elements of the ruling party." (p. 268). I., & A. Only radical reforms will curb this unsavorypractice. World Politics, 46, 151-184. Within thelimitations of the essay, a well-rounded review. From 1988 through 1997, strong feminist and other civilsociety movements, such as human rights and citizen's movements-with whichthe feminists built alliances-emerged. New York, NY: Routledge. Social leaders, especially those in the Church, aswell as swelling membership in PRI's opposition parties, were the majorreasons for this happening. Lawson, C. The state of Chihuahua,Mexico's largest state, saw its first political awakening in the form ofelectoral rebellion against the state by large municipal electoralvictories in the 198 s. 377-4 7).The activation of NAFTA on January 1, 1994, did not lead to an evenlydistribution across Mexico's sub-national regions. An electoral route to democracy?Comparative Politics, 3 (4), 477-497. Mexico in the context of the North-American integration: Major regional trends and performance of backwardregions. Fox, J. This patchwork pattern of democratization in the federal bureaucracyis most visible in Mexico's federal police force. Increased participation in thepolitical process combined with strong social institutions, such as thechurch, townships, and municipal governments, tend to check the dictatorialpowers of the state, and allow to extract any necessary democratic reforms. Mexico's ruling class has tried to accommodate the poor without givingup any power. Nevertheless, thisessay describes both the old and new regime in a succinct manner, and"analyzes the mix of autocratic and democratic elements that composeMexico's present political system" (Lawson, p. It is the author's contention that "one reason that active citizensare good for democracy is because of their effect on the institutionalstructure of society" (Chand, 2 1, p.5). 55-87). 1-11), the author summarizes his theories as to why and howseventy-one years of one-party rule by the Institutional RevolutionaryParty (PRI) at the national level ended when the National Action Party(PAN) won the presidency in 2 . K. These events were spurred on by thedisenchantment of the local population with the election frauds thatoccurred in the gubernatorial elections of 1988. This was achieved through the employ of political brokers,facilitators between the haves and have-nots. (2 1), Mexico's Political Awakening. (2 , Summer). Fox describes the various stages between clientelism and pluralism,but fails to address or recommend any future steps that Mexico mustundertake to transit to democracy.Klesner's article explores Mexico's transition in a comparativeperspective. However, what was playing out in Chihuahua had a profound effect onthe country as a whole. While these anti-poverty programs are aimed at making economic adjustment politicallyviable, it is the creation of political openings for social movements andnon-governmental organizations, and the degree of political conditionality,which stipulates the extent of the transition from clientelism tocitizenship. He makes a strong analysis of the politicalevents that created the formation of a mass electorate that chose toabandon the status quo, that was fed up with the prevailing corruption thatthe PRI stood for, and whose elitist rule stifled the formation and growthof opposing and competing political parties which would allow for free andfair elections. (1998, July). The judicial branch's problems stem from the fact that the judiciaryis subordinated to executive authority, and that it is subject tocorruption. These citizens constitute the core of the PAN party,whereas the PRI voters generally are less educated, older, and from poorerareas of Mexico. 482). The Church, the major opposition party, the PAN, andincreased social leadership at the grass roots level all contributed to anincreased awareness of the need for institutional and democratic reforms.The book traces the development of these transformations through a regionalcase study that impacted on the national level. It explores the role of mass attitudes toward the contendingparties, especially the transition from elitism to mass political andelectoral behavior, and describes the arenas in which democratic transitionhas taken place in Mexico. The mass media still suffer from the same problem ofcorruption, coupled with censorship. Gender politics in the Mexicandemocratization process. Mexico's mass political awakening led to the creation of a broaderpolitical society in which opposition parties were legitimized, andorganizations and interests in civil society contributed to the democratictransition.However, the new political arena left a number of authoritarian enclavesthat remain prime targets for political reform. Mexico is in a transitory state where sub-nationalauthoritarian regimes survive within a nationally competitive electoralsystem, and thus fails to achieve full democratic status. Similar to Chand's book is the anthology by Dominguez and Poire(1999), titled: "Toward Mexico's Democratization". However, how effective access toassociational autonomy and citizen rights is extended across the entiresociety requires a regime change from the national to the sub-nationallevels. S. (2 1). Notre Dame, IN:University of Notre Dame Press. 268). In the introduction (Chand,2 1, pp.
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