Dilemmas of Political Change in Mexico

The victory of Vicente Fox Quesada in Mexico's July 2000 presidential election was a watershed. His triumph convincingly marked the consolidation of electoral democracy and symbolized a clear break with the political regime established following the 1910-20 revolution. Nevertheless, many legacies of post-revolutionary authoritarianism persist, and Mexico's democratization process remains incomplete. This book assesses contemporary Mexico's political dynamics and the many pending challenges in the construction of a more fully democratic political order. The authors examine changes affecting the party system, electoral institutions and voting behaviour; the evolving role of the armed forces, organized labour, big business and rural producers; the new importance of civil society, the mass media and cross-border social coalitions; and key issues of political representation and governance, including executive-legislative relations, judicial performance, federalism, the constitutional rights of indigenous peoples, and the political role of Mexicans resident in the United States.