The Study of the Development of Mexico’s Party Politics Since 1988

• Main Authors: Tsao, Hsien-chung, 曹顯中
• Other Authors: Tsai, Tung-chieh
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2003
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/52386078516885926264

碩士 === 淡江大學 === 拉丁美洲研究所 === 91 === After the 1988 presidential election, Mexico’s political environment had changed a lot from the PRI’s hegemonic party system to multi-party system (PRI, PAN, PRD). After more than a decade, the political situation became the two parties (PRI, PAN) confront with each other in the 2000 presidential election. Surprisingly, PRI failed the campaign, it’s the first time that PRI became the Opposition since 1929. In terms of theory, whether a country has a mechanism of alternation of regime or not could be considered as an indicator for democracy. Before 2000, Mexico couldn’t be regard as an undemocratic country, nonetheless, we treat it as a democratic country after the 2000 presidential election. With regard to the recent political reform in Mexico, which most remarkable is the electoral reforms. Initially, the election laws and institutions extremely favored the ruling party (PRI), and suppressed the Oppositions, relatively. The process of election was just a nominal form, losing the original sublime meaning of democracy. But under the stress of demanding for democracy from the public, the ruling party finally accepted the appeal to some extend to pacify people’s dissatisfaction. Through reestablishing the game rules, the injustice between all parties could be eliminated. This study is trying to figure out the changing process of Mexico’s modern party system, and to understand the reason why the Mexicans’ voting behavior changed dramatically under such a closed political environment since 1988. Followings are the main purposes of this study I’m trying to exam Mexico through the discussion of democratization and the theory of party system, and thereby to prove the process of democratic transition in Mexico as well as the feedbacks of the political development in the country through the interactions between politic parties. It was based on the electoral system to discuss the possible effects on the party system. In this study, I try to observe the changes of Mexicans’ voting behavior after several electoral system and institutions reforms which is based on the theories of Giovanni Sartori and Maurice Duverger. To observe the political development in Mexico in the foreseeable future through the current situation after the alternation of party, and to analyze how Fox beat Labastida in 2000 presidential election. As for if PRI retake the regime in the next campaign or never be able to recover after the setback. Although PAN beat PRI unprecedented, the real challenge is yet to start. How could PAN cooperate with all the political parties in order to improve the bad economic condition and to lead the people forward to a free, democratic, and wealthy life as well? All these problems are testing the inexperienced Fox administration and PAN.