Dates of last and next legislative elections: L. House 2003/2006
U. House 2000/2006

Head of state: President Vicente Fox

AT THE LAST ELECTION

Mexico was a multiparty democracy in name only until 1997; reforms culminated in a PAN presidency in 2000.

Profile

The PRI dominated Mexico from 1929. The strength of opposition parties grew during the 1990s, and, after grudging electoral reform, the PRI lost its monopoly on power in 1997. After the 2000 elections the PAN was the largest party in the Chamber of Deputies, but it lacked an overall majority and was overtaken once more by the PRI in the 2003 midterm poll.

Main Political Issues

President Fox's administration

The first half of President Vicente Fox's six-year term (2000–2006) was uneven. His failure to consult and build consensus, coupled with PRI opposition in Congress, resulted in key policy failures, notably in the areas of electricity, telecommunications, and fiscal reform. Promises on job creation went unmet but government accountability and transparency improved. An economic downturn was also seen off without the specter of hyperinflation. Fox's position was made all the more difficult when the PRI emerged as the victors in the July 2003 Congressional elections.

Future of the PRI

Election defeats in the late 1990s left the PRI rudderless and faction-ridden. It turned to hard-liner Roberto Madrazo, party leader from 2002, to translate public disillusionment with the PAN into popular support for the PRI.

From "The Financial Times World Desk Reference" © Dorling Kindersley 2004