I Viva Mexico !

1
I Viva Mexico !

• Current Politics and Issues

2
Change since 1980s

• Toward democracy multiparty
• Economic improvement and liberalization
• Rich and poor disparity
• Growth of middle class in north
• Globalization
• Relationship with US

3
2000 and YA!

• Win by Fox in 2000peaceful transition of power
• Goodbye to living museum of history
• PRI faced delicate balance between need for
  credible opposition to engage in competition but
  with no chance to win and actual, level playing
  field and possible loss of power
• One party system was not good for the legitimacy
  of the PRI d
• Consequence of ReformsElectoral Institute,
  factions within PRI, Zedillo

4
2006 Election

• Won by Felipe Calderon PAN candidate
• Promised to clean up the drug cartels
• Manuel Lopez Obrador (PRD) claimed election fraud
  and set up alternative government wait, is this
  a democracy?

5
2012 Election

• Enrique Pen?a Nieto elected president
• PRI candidate
• Manuel Lopez Obrador (PRD) claimed stolen from
  him, again
• PRI in control of the presidency but not the
  legislature

The telenovela president?
6
Dynamics of Divided Government

• Inherent problems of a presidential system
• Party that controls the executive does not
  necessarily control the legislature

National Palace Mexico City a house divided
after 2012 elections
7
PRI vs. PRD States in 2012Presidential Election

• PRI states in green
• 20 states
• PRD states in yellow
• 8 states
• PAN states in blue
• 4 states
• PRD candidate
• Manuel Lopez Obrador continues
• to allege irregularities existed
• that cost him the election

source electionresources.org
8
Chamber of Deputies 2012Election Results

• PRI in green
• 240 seats
• PRD in yellow
• 136 seats
• PAN states in blue
• 114 seats

source electionresources.org
9
Senate 2012 Election Results

• PRI in green
• 61senators
• PAN in blue
• 38 senators
• PRD in yellow
• 28 senators

source electionresources.org
10
Domestic Agenda

• Pluralism
• Decentralization
• Electoral Reform
• Rule of Law (i.e. judicial reform)
• Anti-narcotics
• Criminal gangs in Mexico account for 11 of 13
  largest drug markets in US
• 39 heroin into USA
• 1 supplier of methamphetamine
• 93 cocaine into USA
• Formation of Federal Agency of Investigation in
  Mexico (AFI) in 2002

11
Election Reform

• Campaign finance restrictions
• Critical media coverage
• International watch teams
• Election monitoring by opposition party members
• IFE (Federal Election Institute)
• Despite all this claims of rampant vote buying in
  2012

12
Political Economy

• Import Substitution Industrialization
• Mexican Miracle 1950s and 1960s
• Neoliberalism
• Privatization with Mexican characteristics
• NAFTApros and cons for Mexico
• Maquiladoras
• Economic success vs. political success?

13
More Key Public Policy Issues

• Human Rights
• Corruption
• Social Welfare
• Environment
• Migration

Presidents Obama and Penã Nieto met at the White
House, November 2012