Download Democratic Transition in Mexico

DEMOCRATIC TRANSITIONS
IN MEXICO AND URUGUAY
3/3/2010
Mexico: Breakdown of the Old Regime
The PRI System
 Managed elections
 The party serves to share power between the
revolutionary factions without the destructive
rivalries that elections fostered
 The party incorporates the mobilized peasantry
through corporatist structures (state-mediated
relations between business and workers) and land
reform
 Presidential nomination of successor
Mexico: Breakdown of the Old Regime

Why does the system fail?
 Economic
crisis of the 1980s
 Rising levels of education and wealth
 Rising levels of mobilization and democratic
expectations

Democratic transition in Mexico has been about
transforming (v. building or restoring) institutions to
make them function democratically
Mexico: Transitional Democracy
The 1988 – 2000 Period: Elections take on a genuine
character
 1988: the election of Carlos Salinas (PRI), the
defeat of Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, and the rise of
the PRD and the PAN
 1994: the election of Ernesto Zedillo (PRI)
 2000: the election of Vicente Fox (PAN)
 IS
THIS THE MOMENT OF CONSOLIDATION?
Mexico: Questionable Consolidation
The 2006 Presidential Election
 Was the election free and fair?
 Was the government neutral?
 Were the actors abiding by the rules of the game?
 Did the candidates/parties respect the voters?
 Were civil liberties and human rights respected?
 Was the media free and fair?
Mexico:
Continuing Challenges to Consolidation
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Underdeveloped democratic institutions are
vulnerable to manipulation
Failure to internalize democratic principles
Tenuous rule of law
Poverty, inequality, and slow economic growth
Challenges to the legitimacy of the current
administration
Uruguay: Structures of Government


Constitutional Democracy
Federal System
 Central
Government
 Executive:
President (5 yr term, plurality with majority
runoff)
 Legislature: General Assembly


Chamber of Deputies (99 seats, 5 yr terms, proportional
representation by district)
Chamber of Senators (31 seats, 5 yr terms, proportional
representation)
 Judicial:
 19
Supreme Court
departments
Uruguay:
Breakdown of the Old Regime

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1973-1984: Period of military dictatorship
1980: first constitutional referendum (57.2%
against)
1984: growing political and economic unrest leads
to mass protests
1985: Tupamaros renounce violence and join the
regular political process
1986: Law of Nullity (applies to both sides)
Uruguay: Transitional Democracy
The party system after the transition from
authoritarianism was largely a continuation of that
which had existed in prior periods of electoral
competition
Major Parties
 Frente
Amplio (Broad Front; leftist, social democratic to
socialist)
 Partido Colorado (Colorado Party; left, liberal to social
democratic)
 Partido Nacional, aka Partido Blanco (National Party;
right, liberal conservative)
Uruguay: Consolidation
Effectiveness

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51% of Uruguayans have a good opinion of public institutions (highest in
Latin America)
48% are highly satisfied with state services (highest in Latin America by
more than 10%)
Perceptions of public sector corruption (45%) and politicians’ corruption
(27%) are the lowest in Latin America
Cleavages

Uruguay is characterized by homogeneity
Accountability

Alternation in power

Reliance on referendum and plebicites

Perception of judicial independence is the highest in Latin America
Uruguay: Consolidation
Participation
 19% of people take part in authorized political demonstrations, the 2nd
highest in Latin America
 The majority think that protests are normal and indispensible
Support for Democracy
 66% think that voting is the best way to achieve change
 I wouldn’t mind a non-democratic government in power if it could resolve
economic problems.

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
Uruguay: 31% yes
Lat American average: 53% yes
In general, would you say that the country is governed for the benefit of a
few powerful groups?


Uruguay: 40% yes
Lat American average: 70% yes
Uruguay: Consolidation
Statistical Indicators
 GDP: $31.3 billion USD (2008)
 Debt /GDP: 57% (2008) (interest payments alone were 2.5% of GDP in 2006)
 Inflation: 9.2% (2008)
 Unemployment: 7.6% (2008)
Wealth and Poverty
th
 HDI for Uruguay is 0.852, which gives the country a rank of 46 out of 177
countries with data (2008)
Income Distribution
 GINI index: 44.9 (2008) (high overall but the 2nd most egalitarian in Latin America)
Public sector spending
 Welfare
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Universal free healthcare
Free k-12 education (though only primary school is compulsory and drop-out is common)
Public sector employment
Questions


What is democracy? Is democracy a “good” thing?
Why or why not?
At what stage in transition to democracy is Mexico
today? Uruguay?
A NOTE on policy papers: Do not try to "solve"
democracy in your country. Instead pick one aspect
of the democratic system where you perceive a
significant flaw and then propose specific policies to
address that problem. KEEP IT SMALL!