Mexico’s Government

Mexico’s GovernmentStan West

Executive Branch

Sole executive power is vested upon the President.President is elected by first past the post plurality for a six year term (sexenio) and cannot be reelected.No vice president position so in case of absence or incapacity of the president, the Congress of the Union will be constituted as an electoral college and by absolute majority will elect an interim president.President appoints with approval of the Senate, Cabinet members and other officers.President’s job is to execute and enforce the laws and can veto bills presented to him by the legislature.

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto

Legislative Branch

Legislative body is called Congress of the Union which is a bicameral congress composed of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.Some of the most important powers of this Congress include the right to pass laws, impose taxes, declare war, approve national budget, and approve or reject treaties made with foreign nations.

Congress of the Union

Chamber of Deputies

The lower house of the Congress of the Union.The Chamber is composed of one representative for every 200,000 citizens. There are currently 500 representatives. Of these, 300 are “majority deputies” which are elected by plurality and 200 are “party deputies” are assigned by proportional representation.Chamber of Deputies is completely replaced every 3 years.

Senate of the Republic

Upper house of Mexico’s legislature.Made up of 128 Senators.In a senatorial race, each party nominates two candidates to run who are elected by direct vote.The party of the candidates that won the second highest vote within the state then assigns a senator to occupy the third seat.Senators serve six year terms.

Judicial Branch

Mexico’s judiciary has been a separate branch of government since independence. Federal courts include the Supreme Court, with 21 magistrates, 32 circuit tribunals, and 98 district courts.Supreme Court magistrates are appointed for life by the president and approved by the Senate and can only be removed through impeachment.The other justices serve a six year term.Supreme Court has original and appellate jurisdiction in the civil, administrative, labor, and penal divisions.Jury system not usually used in Mexico but judicial protection is provided by the Writ of Amparo which allows people to appeal to a federal court from a local court.

Political parties of Mexico

National Action Party(PAN)- a right center party, member of the Christian Democracy.Institutional Revolutionary Party(PRI)- the dominating party at state, national, and municipal levels for most of the 20th century.Party of the Democratic Revolution(PRD) – left- centrist party.

Mexican government: A struggle for power

After Mexico gained independence in 1821, there was a power struggle for the control of the government.In the 1850s, Benito Juárez became president and led a movement for reform.In 1857, a new constitution was written which included a bill of rights and promised freedom of speech and equality under the law. It also ended slavery.

Benito Juárez

Mexican Government:the Mexican Revolution

At the beginning of the 20th century, most Mexicans didn’t own land. Many Mexicans wanted to fight for reform.Mexican Revolution lasted from 1910 to 1920.Reformers wanted the government to break up the haciendas.Emiliano Zapata was the leader of the fight for land reform and farmers rights.A new constitution in 1917 promised to distribute land more equally among Mexicans.

Emiliano Zapata