Election Tracker

At stake: Congress

Background

Following the conclusion of the Mexican Revolution in the 1920s, the country’s political scene was dominated by a single organization. The National Revolutionary Party (PNR) was formed in 1929, and was eventually renamed as the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in 1946. For more than seven decades, this party formed every single government in Mexico.

For most of the 20th Century, Mexico enjoyed prosperity, harmony and economic growth. The problems for the ruling party began in 1968, when Mexican president Gustavo Díaz Ordaz authorized the armed forces to quash a student protest held a few days before the Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Hundreds of protesters were killed or wounded. Díaz Ordaz would later appoint his interior secretary, Luis Echeverría, as the PRI’s next presidential candidate.

Echeverría’s term was marked by other instances of abuse. He was supplanted by José López Portillo in 1976, who won a largely uncontested election on account of divisions within the opposition. An economic crisis forced López Portillo to devalue the peso in September 1982—two months after Miguel de la Madrid was elected as his successor.

De la Madrid’s tenure was affected by the 1985 earthquake that killed 20,000 people in Mexico City. The president was severely criticized after he hesitated in accepting international assistance to deal with the crisis. While de la Madrid had been highly regarded for his economic prowess, his term saw a 100 per cent yearly increase in inflation.

Allegations of fraud surfaced during and after the 1988 presidential election, when the government blamed the breakdown of a computer system for unexpected delays in the distribution of results. In the end, Carlos Salinas—the nominee for the ruling PRI—was declared the winner with 50.7 per cent of the vote, defeating Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas of the National Democratic Front (FDN).

Salinas served as Mexico’s president from 1988 to 1994, and signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the United States and Canada. The last year of his tenure was marred by the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) revolt in Chiapas, the assassination of PRI presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio, and the alleged involvement of Salinas’s own brother—Raúl Salinas—in the murder of PRI secretary-general José Francisco Ruiz Massieu.

In December 1994, three weeks after Salinas left office, Mexico suffered a grave economic crisis as the Mexican peso lost a third of its value. In February 1995, Salinas went on a brief hunger strike to protest the assertion that his own administration was responsible for the financial collapse.

Ernesto Zedillo, who had defeated National Action Party (PAN) candidate Diego Fernández de Ceballos and Cárdenas of the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) in the August 1994 presidential election, benefited from an emergency loan authorized by the United States to keep Mexico’s economy afloat. During his term, several kidnappings of high profile businessmen took place, and some Mexican cities became increasingly unsafe.

In 1997, Mexico City voters were able to choose their head of government through the ballot box for the first time in five decades. The PRD’s Cárdenas won the ballot.

In July 2000, the PAN’s Vicente Fox ended 71 years of uninterrupted rule by the PRI, winning a six-year term with 42.5 per cent of the vote. PRI candidate Francisco Labastida—a former interior secretary—and the PRD’s Cárdenas were defeated. During the first three years of his term, Fox had a hard time passing proposals through a highly divided Congress compiled with members of the three main parties.

In 2003, the mid-term elections in Mexico proved devastating for Fox, as the PAN lost more than 50 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. The PRI bounced back with 224 legislators, becoming the main political faction in the Mexican Congress.

Click here Mexico’s 2003 Legislative Election Tracker

In the second half of his term, Fox endeavoured to achieve a deal to allow Mexican migrants to legally work in the U.S. In February 2005, U.S. ambassador to Mexico Antonio Garza sent a letter to foreign secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez and attorney general Rafael Macedo de la Concha, claiming Mexico’s law enforcement units were incapable of dealing with the security situation along the U.S.-Mexico border.

In February 2005, the Chamber of Deputies approved a controversial proposal to allow Mexicans living abroad to vote in the 2006 presidential election. Fox stated that the ruling would enable "millions of Mexicans who live outside the country" to "set an example of democracy." In the end, only 41,000 Mexicans living abroad requested ballots.

The 2006 presidential election proved extremely controversial. Former energy secretary Felipe Calderón won an internal ballot to represent the conservative PAN in the ballot. Former Tabasco governor Roberto Madrazo locked the PRI’s nomination, and former Mexico City mayor Andrés Manuel López Obrador officially became the left-leaning PRD’s candidate.

In December 2005, the PRD established an alliance with the Workers Party (PT) and Convergence for Democracy (CD). The Green Environmentalist Party (PVEM) contested the presidential and legislative elections as part of a coalition with the PRI. In the 2000 ballot, the PVEM had sided with the PAN.

On Jun. 13, 2006, representatives from seven political parties vowed to abide by a "civility pact" and respect the outcome of the election.

Voting took place on Jul. 2. On Jul. 6, official results placed Calderón as the winner with 35.88 per cent of all cast ballots, followed by López Obrador with 35.31 per cent. The Mexican electoral system does not contemplate a run-off in the event no candidate receives 50 per cent of all cast ballots, so the top vote-getter would automatically become the next president.

López Obrador refused to accept the final count and called on his supporters to assemble in Mexico City on Jul. 8 for what he described as an "informative assembly". On Jul. 10, he filed a legal challenge to the election result, alleging widespread fraud and calling for a hand recount of every ballot.

On Jul. 16, thousands of PRD supporters assembled in Mexico City. López Obrador’s advisor Manuel Camacho warned about possible acts of violence, saying, "If the votes are not counted, all these people who are now smiling will raise their fists."

Calderón criticized his rival, declaring, "Nobody should pretend to win on the streets what he did not win through the ballot box. We demand the people’s will to be respected."

In late July and August, López Obrador’s supporters erected tent camps, blocked access to several Mexico City avenues, took over toll booths in roads leading to the capital, and clashed with riot police outside the Mexican Congress building.

On Aug. 5, the Federal Electoral Tribunal (TRIFE) ordered a partial recount in 9.07 per cent of the country’s 130,000 polling stations.

In an interview published by the Financial Times on Aug. 20, López Obrador declared, "The most important changes in Mexico have never come about through conventional politics but rather from the streets. (...) Mexico needs a revolution."

On Aug. 24, López Obrador claimed he won the election "by 2 million votes." On Aug. 28, the TRIFE said it had "no reason" to consider the allegations of vote-buying and ballot stuffing made by López Obrador.

On Sept. 1, Mexican president Vicente Fox was unable to deliver his sixth and final State of the Country address, after dozens of PRD lawmakers took control of the stage of Congress to protest the outcome of the Jul. 2 election. The president presented a written copy to the legislative branch.

On Sept. 5, the TRIFE declared that Calderón was the winner of the presidential election with 36.68 per cent of all cast ballots, followed by López Obrador with 36.11 per cent.

Calderón was sworn in on Dec. 1. López Obrador continues to deny the legitimacy of the presidential election.

Click here for Mexico’s 2006 Presidential Election Tracker

From his first days in office, Calderón made the fight against organized crime and drug-trafficking a priority. The ever-growing Mexican drug cartels were responsible for at least 2,000 deaths in 2006 alone. Calderón deployed thousands of soldiers to fight the cartels in northern states.

In July 2007, Calderón unveiled a new phase of his comprehensive anti-drug policy. The program would now include drug tests for students in more than 8,000 schools nationwide, as well as local, state and federal funding to build more parks and sports complexes, and more than 300 new clinics to treat drug and alcohol addictions. The Mexican president has made it clear that the war on drug-trafficking cannot be won without addressing growing drug consumption in Mexico.

In October 2007, the Mexican and American governments signed the so-called Merida initiative. The pact fosters co-operation between both sides, as well as other Central American countries, in fighting against drug consumption and trafficking, money laundering and international crimes. The pact was signed into law on Jun. 30, 2008. On that same month, the U.S. Congress authorized an aid package worth $400 million U.S. for Mexico as part of the Merida initiative.

Calderón’s administration faced a major test in the last week of October, when the state of Tabasco was hit by severe floods caused by heavy rains. Officials estimated that about half of Tabasco’s 2.2 million residents were left homeless in the worst natural disaster to hit the area in more than 50 years. The government was praised at home and abroad for its swift response to the disaster. The president had sent thousands of soldiers, navy officers, pilots and federal police to Tabasco two days before the river banks broke.

On Feb. 5, 2008, Louise Arbour, the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, warned the Mexican government of the "dangers" of using military forces to fight drug cartels, saying, "I understand there are those who say that at times you have to turn to a more powerful force such as the army, but it seems to me that in the long term it is frankly dangerous. (...) The army should not be doing the job of the police."

In early 2008, PAN legislators tabled a proposal that would allow foreign investors to partner with Pemex—Mexico’s state-owned oil company—to drill for oil off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. In the early 1920s, Mexico was the world’s second-largest oil producer. In 1938, after negotiations with foreign energy companies failed, Mexican president Lázaro Cárdenas effectively nationalized the Latin American country’s oil industry. Cárdenas established Pemex, which to this day is the sole supplier of commercial fuels in the country. The Calderón-led government believes Pemex needs to find outside help to undertake deep-water drilling because it lacks the technology and resources to do it on its own.

On Mar. 25, leaders of the leftist opposition PRD said they would take to the streets with "resistance brigades" of 10,000 women and 18,000 men to fight the president’s oil-related policies with marches and barricades. In mid-April, PRD and Broad Progressive Front (FAP) lawmakers staged a two-week protest against the bill, with several lawmakers blocking the entrance to the congressional building.

After months of consultations, a watered-down version of the bill was passed by legislators in October. The new rules open the door to participation of foreign companies in off-shore drilling. The government will also build a new oil refinery for Pemex.

In August 2008, Mexico was shaken by the death of Fernando Martí, the 14-year-old son of a well-known business man, who had been kidnapped in June. Investigators suggested that the perpetrators were police officers. Calderón ordered in investigation into such allegations.

Kidnapping for ransom is a major concern in the country. According to official National Public Security office statistics, at least 8,416 kidnappings have taken place between 1994 and March 2008. Mexico City has become infamous over the past few years for its "express kidnappings"—a form of quick hostage-taking in which victims are forced to vacate their bank accounts from automated tellers at gunpoint.

Calderón urged Congress to enact a set of new laws in order to tackle the growing number of kidnappings in the country, including life imprisonment for kidnappers who have served or are serving in the police force.

In October 2008, as a global financial crisis unravelled, President Calderón introduced a series of economic measures to avoid a major slowdown. The plan included tax cuts for businesses and investment in infrastructure projects.

On Nov. 4, a plane carrying Mexican interior secretary Juan Camilo Mouriño crashed in Mexico City, killing all eight passengers and six people on the ground. Mouriño was a key player in Calderón’s fight against drug trafficking and organized crime. Mexican investigators said that "turbulence" was probably what brought the plane down, and ruled out a plot to assassinate Mouriño. Calderón appointed fellow PAN member Francisco Gómez Mont as interior secretary.

More than 6,300 people have died in 2008 and 2009, many of them caught in conflicts between drug cartels.

2009 Legislative Election

Mexican voters will renew the Chamber of Deputies on Jul. 5, electing 300 candidates through a first-past-the-post method and 200 by proportional representation.

In the July 2006 legislative election, the governing National Action Party (PAN) secured 206 seats in the 500-member Chamber of Deputies, followed by an alliance led by the left-wing Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) with 160 lawmakers, and a coalition of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the Green Environmentalist Party (PVEM) with 121 mandates.

In April, Mexico was greatly affected by an outbreak of H1N1 influenza, also referred to as swine flu. As of late May, more than 4,932 cases were confirmed in the country, and 97 deaths were reported. The federal government ordered all schools and church services shut down until early May. Restaurants and shopping malls were also placed under tight restrictions.

In early April, PRD leader Jesús Ortega delivered his party’s list of candidates to the federal Attorney General’s Office (PGR). Ortega explained his rationale, saying, "We are committed to stopping organized crime from entering electoral campaigns. We have selected all of our candidates and want the PGR to issue an opinion. (...) We challenge all parties to do the same. It will be the best way to make sure that organized crime does not enter electoral campaigns."

On Apr. 22, president Felipe Calderón of the PAN said his government has been able to deal "heavy blows" to organized crime, adding, "It is worth mentioning that, as a direct consequence of the operations that have been implemented, the amount of violent deaths related to criminal activity has fallen [on the first four months of 2009] by 26 per cent."

On May 4, as the country was slowly returning to its normal functioning, Calderón praised his administration’s handling of the crisis in a televised address to the nation, saying, "The situation that we faced was not simple. The federal government made firm decisions to protect your health and that of your family. (…) Because we did the right thing, our strategy is working well."

On May 14, Mexico City mayor and PRD member Marcelo Ebrard said he would consider running for president in 2012 backing a left-wing agenda that would take on big businesses and help the country’s poor, saying, “Let’s see in 2011. But I always say, Why not?”

On Jun. 2, Calderón discussed the scope of the fight against organized crime, saying, “Terrorism is not a problem of a single family or an isolated nation but of everyone; it is a problem that affects mankind as a whole. It is a global development that must be dealt with using international cooperation.”

On Jun. 5, Calderón said the country will voluntarily cut its greenhouse gas emissions, saying, "Mexico promises to reduce emissions of 50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year starting now."

On Jun. 9, former PRD presidential candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador—who lost the 2006 election to Calderón—denounced a campaign by different business groups, university professors, former politicians and thousands of Mexican citizens which calls for people to cast a blank ballot, saying that this would only benefit the two biggest parties. López Obrador declared: "Many people who are right to be angry are falling into this game from the right; but my point of view is that one has to participate in elections."

In early June, a recording of Mauricio Fernández—a PAN mayoral candidate in the city of San Pedro—talking to a small group of supporters was leaked to the media. Fernández said that drug lords have contacted several candidates across the country seeking their support. On Jun. 15, Fernández stood by his comments, denying that he had met personally with any drug lords, and adding, "I am stating the reality that my city is living. I don’t have any reason to hide it."

In mid-June, officials estimated that the swine flu outbreak cost the Mexican economy $1 billion U.S.

On Jul. 1, PRI leader Beatriz Paredes predicted a victory, declaring, “We are going to win because we have a strong party, very well organized, and with viable proposals. The PRI, with its structures and members, is unstoppable.”

On Jul. 2, PRD Senate leader Carlos Navarrete expressed disappointment with López Obrador—who has voiced support for a candidate from the Workers Party (PT) in a Mexico City borough while shunning the PRD nominee—saying, “I don’t understand, because he is not leaving the PRD, but he calls on people to vote for other parties, so we don’t really know where he’s heading.”

Voting took place on Jul. 5. Preliminary results suggested that the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) would secure 36.88 per cent of the vote and 237 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, shy of a majority in the lower house. The governing National Action Party (PAN) finished second with 27.98 per cent and 143 mandates, followed by the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) with 12.20 per cent and 72 seats, and the Green Environmentalist Party (PVEM) with 6.71 per cent and 21 mandates.

Paredes expressed satisfaction with the outcome, saying, "The results demonstrate that Mexico is a country that wants proposals, that Mexico is a country that wants solutions, that Mexico is a country that won’t tolerate insults."

In a nationally televised address, Calderón declared: "I congratulate those that have been elected and express the willingness and will of the federal government, which I lead, to engage in dialogue and collaborate with the new delegates in order to overcome the enormous challenges facing the country."

PRI candidates also won six gubernatorial races, including the two PAN strongholds of Querétaro and San Luis Potosí. The number of PAN seats in the Chamber of Deputies was decimated from 206 to 146 seats. The PRI will have 241 seats, plus 17 seats from its ally, the Green Environmentalist Party (PVEM).

On Jul. 7, PAN president Germán Martínez tendered his resignation over the party’s poor performance in the mid-term election, saying, “After these electoral failures, I have opted not to continue at the helm of the political institution that had already suffered state-level losses last year.” The party has one month to elect a new leader.

Political Players

President: Felipe Calderón - PAN

The President is elected to a six-year term by popular vote.

Legislative Branch: The Congreso de la Unión (Congress of the Union) has two chambers. The Cámara de Diputados (Chamber of Deputies) has 500 members elected to three-year terms; 300 are elected in single-seat constituencies, and 200 are elected by proportional representation. The Cámara de Senadores (Chamber of Senators) has 128 members elected to six-year terms; 96 are elected in three-seat constituencies, and 32 are elected by proportional representation. The 96 directly elected senators consist of the winning two-person ticket plus a third seat awarded to the first runner-up.

Results of Last Election:

President - Jul. 2, 2006

Chamber of Deputies - Jul. 5, 2009

Senate - Jul. 2, 2006