Democracy in Mexico

Abstract

One of the many forms of government which can be used to run a country is Democracy. This type of governing has many forms and common attributes, but four main qualities seem to be the most common. Democracy is the ability for a country to have free, fair, and regular elections, freedoms and liberties, a strong civil society, and a stable rule of law. With defining democracy, you can look at specific countries and see if that country is a democracy or not. For example, Mexico, on paper, is a democracy, but when looking deeper, the country fails to meet the definition. Although it is not a democracy by definition, it has several democratic qualities; one of them being regular elections. Mexico holds elections for their president, the Chambers of Representatives, Senate, and many local and state officials. The president is elected by first-past-the-post (FPTP), meaning the candidate that receives the most votes wins. This electoral system is fairly simple, and it is easy to count the winner. In contrast, Mexico uses a Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system to vote for its legislative branch (Chambers of Representatives and Senators). Corrupt elections, the murdering of journalists for reporting controversial news, and cutting funding from civil society organizations are just some of the reasons why Mexico does not fit the definition of democracy. Mexico has the ability to be a strong democracy, but they need to make strives to improve its democratic endeavors to get it there. If Mexico is willing to make these changes it becomes a strong democracy and starts helping the countries around them. 1 Holtman: Democracy in Mexico Published by Carroll Collected, 2020