Political Participation and Democracy in Mexico - Research Paper Example

? Political Participation and Democracy in Mexico Introduction For the past 25 years, Latin nations have made an enormous step at their level of democracy. According to the millennium development goal report published in the year 2009, it shows that, among the developing regions, Latin America are on the front in terms of political participation, as they had adequate representation of women. Despite the progress in political development, the region is still struggling with the effect of violent and conflict in numerous parts of the region. In some parts of the region, social political stability has been threatened or influenced with social and economic inequalities; therefore, reforms at civic, social, and political level have been requested1. UNDP has played part in contributing to the strengthening of the democracy and its bodies to ensure they consolidate laws and policies that encourage political participation and democracy. The research addresses the political participation and democracy in Mexico, it being on of American Latin nations2. True democracy in Mexico has been of the long coming, social leaders and rebellion citizens played part in bringing of democracy in the country at the end of twentieth century. Dominance of one party has yield to more democratic structures marked with emergent decentralization and the implementation of the fairer election policies and procedures. Success and failure of Political participation Since the past 20 years or from 1980s, the political participation of Mexico has undergone drastic change or huge transformation. After a huge period of political control carried or exercised with highly dictatorial political system, one that had the power over Mexican parties and electoral process, currently Mexico is now exercising participatory polity. There has been an increase or upsurge in the multiparty competition in elections that were carried out in 1988, 1994, 1997, 2000, and 2006; therefore, the kind of political participation, specifically voting has gained new meaning. There is a new way of distribution in the constituency in the pluralistic structure3. My argument is that in the past 20 years, the country has experienced a more vibrant and dynamic electoral participation and division of the voting predilection among the current diverse political parties in the Mexican state. The change transpired in the sense that the Mexican population had more risky attitude towards the political environment/sphere. There are many reasons and factors that could be related with the gradual change; the higher education of the citizens, the current socio economic pattern, and or fresh electoral bodies4. However, the given political big wing to the electoral prospects attributes the influence on these differences in the orientation. The voting pattern of Mexico from 1988 -2006 The transform in the electoral partaking In Mexico between the year 1988 and 2000 is hugely attributed by presence of opposition parties particularly by PRD and PAN. The refusal of the government and PRI power over the electoral processes another significant factor and the duty of the IFE (the federal institute for elections) has the significant impact o the contribution in the encouragement of the political participation. It is argued that, in relation to the detailed analysis of the voting pattern change, especially after the electoral reforms were carried out the early 1990s5. The political electoral range started the process of political liberalization leading or yielding to the opposition parties to gain strength which enabled the over powering of the PRI by the PAN (national action party) in the election held at 2000. The election reforms that occurred between the years 1991 to the year 1996, there were lawful sources of the deliberate but lasting increment in the change of the countries electoral participation. At the same line later after the numerous trial by the small parties in be part of the election process, only three parties that were well know with citizens received massive support while the new and little know parties receiving less preferences or support. The major parties that were receiving overwhelming support were the right wing PAN, the renewed left wing party PRD and the traditional party PRD6. Currently, Mexico has crossed the threshold of the new stage: the participation in terms of voting has changed the indifference to much more conscious contribution in politics. Although the worldwide numbers; the standard or mean/average absenteeism is about 27.37% between the year 1988 and the year 2009. Therefore, it is significant to note that there is no important increase in the number of voters, but the number of people preferences for the small parties. In addition, the electorates are more prone to the dynamic changing views according to the conjectural facts and structural historic tendencies7. There is relevancy in the cause that influences the type of political participation by citizens. The move in the election system is the product of structural transformations in the socio economic configuration in the country for the past 30 years, improvement of education, and urbanization. Since past the Mexican population has drastically transformed. From known highly agrarian and illiterate citizens into a more educated urbanized and organized civil community. These new configuration ad changes has give the common people the perspective of their roles I political field despite how weak or effective an individual can be8. After the electoral reforms more political entities were available accessible for the electorate to decide on. Therefore, the decision and more confident voting parte have lead to both decision or choice to be participant and the choice to vote for the opposition party. As a result in political participation, it led to autonomy, which is the sense of independence, emotional and cognitive. Due to the democracy, it led to the self-realization on the political entity that they can be involved with or deciding on the leaders of their choices9. The empirical results show that people are more satisfied when they are able to decide independently o the party to decide to rule them. After the election at the year 2009, it led to PRI taking 19 states while PAN, which was known to be the political giant, gained seven states10. The PRI, which was the less, know political party gained states of Durngo, Sinaloa, and Puebla, which was known to be the strong hold of PAN. On the other hand, PA gained state of Sonora and Baja, which had huge support of the PRI. The result shows the development of political participation and democracy in the country. In argument, the tendency towards political participation currently remains a major concern for many in the country. Studies results show that there is high rate of turnover in the voting or in the election of the president. There are still low rate in the number of citizen voting in the local election and legislatives. On record the highest percentage of voters or citizen who showed up during the election was on the year 1994 were the turnover rate was at 77.1%11. These showed that about seven out of ten citizens participated in the exercise. Afterwards the turnover rate for the voters has been ranging been 40 to 50% which is much lower than one recorded in 1994. There are many reasons that have been attributed to the low turnover rate; one of the main reasons is failure to conduct civic education. Political and electoral behavior PAN and the political participation Since early 1980s, the Mexican ring (PAN) started to restore its traditional historical support for the egalitarian means of the opinionated struggle that is the electoral political involvement12. The political right of the Mexicans has been long under the governance of PAN the party has been following diverse trajectory than their opponent PRI the left wing. Since its creation in the year 1939, the right wing position was to defend the electoral decision as the ways of attaining their political goals and objectives. In regard to this point, Loaeza argued that, the protection of the election and diplomatic means of political feat have been the bastion of the PAN all over their history. During some era of time between 1950 and 1970s, the party has been inclined by the catholic creed and was forced by the traditional positions towards civic policies especially in the direction of the association between the state and the church and the education field. However, since the condition for fair and free election in Mexico, there were correctly customary before 1988 and as of its own fragment decentralized and absorbent organizational constitution, the right wing party the PAN only attained the electoral benefits13. It was in 1989 that the right wing party that had attained a state of government and this one was the primary of many repeated electoral achievement and an boost of activist and supporters within the party. In the year 1999 the party of right wing was already a subsequent force, it gained entree to the government of the 6 states and in additional 250 cities, which included significant capital. Due to the big preferences, it fortifies PAN place in the electoral field mostly spread throughout the northern states of Mexico. The party contributed to trust and confidence among its citizens, later in the year 2009, the party only won eight states which showed the reduction in the electoral range14. The connotation of this presence were that the PAN slowly replaced the vote for the PRI into an independently oriented individual decision and that intended that this party favored selection as a means to channel combined demands. It is stated than PAN confident realignment among the electorate and inside the party system. Later in 2000, the party won the presidential votes a major reality that In the Mexican political life the significance in control with the Vicente Foxes as the fresh head. The next voting was to be the achievement of PAN, with Filipe Calderon as the leader, the popular of the deputies in the lesser chamber and the popular of the seat at the higher chamber15. Nonetheless electoral participation falls by about five points, which may echo people’s dissuasion. To summaries PAN, the long tradition of sustaining electoral means of attaining its political goals and objectives is very vital in the adjustment of political involvement that took place for over the last 20 years. PANs tradition is more probable to protect and persuade electoral involvement rather than other different ways of the political fight. One of the successes in the political participation in Mexico is the level of competence among the political leaders and citizens. Through the feeling of competence, it usually contributes to ones sense of self esteem and self worthiness16. Through political participation, it has led to increase in the level of knowledge and competence in relation to the specific issue thus, increased knowledge and the understanding about the nature of the political process and even citizen’s legal rights. Through learning about the candidate prior voting exercise or voting, it will generate the political understanding hence voting for the right leader or politician. Through political rallies and political meetings in the country, in has added knowledge to the citizens on the importance of participating in the voting exercise17. Even though hypothetical treatment of the political participation is a subject of argument which points to the merit of the inclusion of personal growth, additional strains in the communal science literature shed some hesitation on this interest for participation. The allotment of political chances, that is, how community spending rule are under attack, the competitiveness of selection, and the country’s ability to make sure that the rule of law, give an empirically and hypothetically comfortable clarification for who participates and how than normal socioeconomic and recruitment replica18. The results from various study shows that after regulating for different institutional factors, neither income nor education have any impact on overall or general levels of political participation, whereas, political variables which includes expenditure on poverty mitigation, government receptiveness, and which party rules or governs at the countries or state level have influential participatory impacts. The main reason which affirms the allegiance to a political structure offers the mental consonance that an individual is staying under the good government or the right system or structure19. As a result of these a majority of citizens participate in political field. Success and failure of Mexico democracy Despite the country’s constitution in the year 1917 called for democracy, the countries democracy did not took shape immediately until years later in 1900s. For the past, in the twentieth century, Mexico was being ruled by single authoritarian party PRI20. The monopolistic political consortium was taking center stage for daunting patronage based communal order. It was know that the ruling party was remaining in power due to manipulation of the electoral process. The PRI stronghold started to lose after the civic cultural movement, which showed response to the effort in breaking out across the state21. The combine effort from the citizens and the administration translated to integration of democratic practices in the government itself. A multi party system was started because of a highly publicized indignity that followed the controversial presidential selection of Carlos In the year 1988. Subsequent to the election, the PRD (party of the democratic revolution) in essence divided from the ruling party, PRI, while the conservative or the traditional party PAN (National Action Party) hugely extended its constituency22. This event led in the launching or the formation of the many parties or multiparty system, which currently exists in Mexico. Additional to these, democratic or autonomous movement was the leader Ernesto Zedillo’s drive to surpass the 1996 the state’s Electoral Laws and policies, which institute sovereign electoral body. This law and policy formed independence for the IFE (Federal Electoral Institute) and granting public finances to the political parties so as to level the domestic opinionated playing era. Furthering this initiative towards democratic state, in the year 1997 governmental elections, the PRI failed to gain the total majority in the chambers of Deputies in the first time at the history. Optimism emerges for a genuine democratic state usually overrun by dishonesty and corruption23. The anticipation and the quest for independent development was highlighted in the 2000 historic presidential voting after the PRI lost the offices and power for the first time in the history of 70 years to Fox Vicente, from the party of PAN. While these wins signify advancement from dictatorial rule towards legitimate and lawful democracy; it then appeared that the accomplishment was a little change24. even though the countrywide election were free and fair from an overpowering sum of secret intrusion, the local voting’s were still controlled with the Federal Electoral Tribunal the institution founded under the IFE in early 1990s so that ballot instruction or regulation to solve electoral difference of opinion regarding the fair and a free election25. Even though the PRI had loosed at the voting exercise, it did not lost its spirit. Therefore, both the PRD and the PAN were too disjointed to efficiently expand their own support network tough enough to confront the ruling PRI, therefore, they were forced to toil with previous PRI power negotiators to attain their legislation to be passed. As a result of corruption and dishonesty that new independent rule was hypothetical to get rid of was continued by PRI members through electors manipulation and clientelism. Even though the PRI the ruling party no longer had a popular in the legislature, it was still capable to apply its supremacy and dominance26. Weak and small parties time and again destined an imbalanced distribution of authority in the Lower House in the degree that the PAN and PRD were not adequately allied to conquer the ruling party’s de facto veto. More parties inside the regime meant there were less sovereign voices emanating from every party, further deteriorating the authority of the PRI’s antagonism. The distribution of authority allowed the PRI to have the voting power past its actual statistics. As a result, when fox the leader asked for the amendment of countries constitution in the year 2001, no alteration could be applied27. The substantial failure to devise concrete adjustment in the constitution, in the wake of a traditionally significant voting, displayed Mexico’s incapability to institutionalize independent or democratic practices; development at this was viewed as impossible28. Unluckily, Mexican’s current ruling government has done less to progress the pseudo-democratic basics upon which its capacity to rule was recognized. In a time characterized with dishonesty and corruption and a tedious continuing war against drugs one which has gradually hindered the capacity of the government to guarantee its public security; an envoy government free from corruption was more necessary than before. Conversely, the development of such an admirable government structure has slipped throughout Mexico’s fingers29. Whilst the Mexican regime has focused on fresh election as a way to the democracy, this consistency has lead to the failure in the implementation a strong autonomous and democratic foundation. Putting so much attention on maintenance certain people in the office rather than structuring rule which currently uphold clientelism has destabilized parties which already have had to fight to gain control and power30. These were exemplified in the local and gubernatorial elections held at July 2010, where the PRD and the PAN united to overpower the PRI in the states of Oaxaca, and Puebla. Local circumstances, such as the scented personal standing of PRI contender, allowed the two parties to send away their lame philosophies and generate a partnership based on the wish to assemble against the common enemy31. Even though many saw the victory as a step towards the right direction, the success instead meant a further collapse in the multi-party structure that was formed to encourage democracy. With the PRD and the PAN focusing exclusively on expelling the PRI more willingly than on strengthening their plans and platform, these incorporated parties went on to beat themselves into acquiescence in order to triumph more victorious32. The PAN and the PRD are then compromised by their own leaders’ from time to time inappropriate performance. In the year 2006, the PRD’s presidential contender, Andres Manuel, went to great deal in refusing to recognize his overpower by the PAN’s Calderon. The former’s refutation was based on the argument that Calderon’s partially of a percent front was too thin and narrows to be legitimate33. By taking to the street and asserting that he was the “valid president, Obrador loss the support of many supporters who saw his events as over personalization of the politics. Lossinfs faith in the PRD finished in 2008, when the party holds deceptive elections. President Calderon’s tartan actions have correspondingly blemished the PAN’s picture. through distributing government position based on individual rather than party binds and fading to take the full clean of specialized experience into account; the Calderon has formed a government incompetent of systemic transform. Consequently, his pledge to construct a thriving economy in Mexico has disappeared unfulfilled, generating no little amount of hesitation about the return capacity harbored by the once-revered (PAN) National Action Party34. As the PAN and the PRD have fought to get momentum since the year 2006 presidential voting, the PRI has raised from ashes35. Capitalizing on PRD’s self-destructive position and the PAN’s collapse to solve the country’s ailing financial and drug problems, the PRI has added enough of supporters to dominate continuing state and the Congressional determination. In the year 2009, the PRI gained 237 out of the 500 seats in a Lower House of Mexican Congress, an achievement reflecting its strong electorate. Even though these victories point to that the party have chances of winning the year 2012 presidential determinations, therefore nothing is definite. Present Mexican State Governor Nieto, the predictable PRI presidential contender, will have to provide an essential and sounding plan for the reforms in order to overcome over the forecasted political actors from both the PAN and PRD tickets36. For the failure and challenges, Mexico is more and more being typified as the failed state on explanation of its incapability to counter the country's mushrooming problems of either drug-trafficking violence poor economy, or gangsters. Felipe’s regime always denies the allegation and some of the problems are evident. The idea of a failed state is one of those notions that happen now and again to try to confine new veracity37. Conclusion The attainment of true democracy with Mexico has been a long journey. The country came from a single ruling party to multi party. Despite the country’s exercising multi party, there has been dominance by one party. After several elections being conducted under multi parties, there has been only one party, which has dominated. The PRI, which is the ruling party, has been defeating its competitors due to its popularity. The party is widely known in the entire state and preferred with many voters38. Therefore despite multi part small parties such as PAN and PRD has struggle to attain the position for several times but to avail. The two parties decided to form alliance in order to outdo the dominating party. The formation of alliance was a setback to the formation of the multiparty. The widely known traditional history of democracy of Mexico has influenced voters voting pattern as they are used in electing one party. For the political participation, since 1980s, Mexico has undergone radical change or huge transformation. After an enormous period of political control carried or exercised with highly dictatorial political system, one that had the power over Mexican parties and electoral process, currently, Mexico is now exercising participatory polity. There has been an increase or upsurge in the multiparty competition I elections that were carried out in 1988 1994, 1997, and 2000, also 2006; therefore the kind of political participation, specifically voting has gained new meaning. There is a new way of distribution of the constituency in the pluralistic structure. Bibliography Botz, Dan. Democracy in Mexico: peasant rebellion and political reform. Boston, MA: South End Press, 2006. Casanova, Pablo. Democracy in Mexico (2d Ed). New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. Centeno, Miguel Angel. Democracy within reason: technocratic revolution in Mexico. University Park, Pa.: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2004. Foweraker, Joe, and Ann L. Craig. Popular movements and political change in Mexico. Boulder: L. Rienner Publishers, 2007. Middlebrook, Kevin. Dilemmas of political change in Mexico. London: Institute of Latin American Studies, University of London, 2004. Randall, Laura. Changing structure of Mexico political, social, and economic prospects (2nd Ed.). Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe, 2006. Read More