Summary

The United States of Mexico is a representative democracy, with 31 states and one federal district (Distrito Federal). Each state maintains its own political rights and divisions under a federal system.

Federal power in the Mexican republic is divided between executive, legislative and judicial branches. The leader of the government is the president, currently Vicente Fox Quesada, elected for a six year term (2000-2006). Included in the executive branch are 18 cabinet-level departments, or Secretarias and the Attorney General of the Republic. The Congress of the Union, composed of the Chamber of Senators and the Chamber of Deputies, holds legislative power. The judicial system is led by the Supreme Court of Justice, and also consists of circuit courts (Tribunales Colegiados de Circuito, Tribunales Unitarios de Circuito) and district courts (Juzgados de Distrito).

The president is directly elected through popular vote to a six-year term, which begins December 1. Presidents can serve only one term.

Executive Branch
The president is required to carry out the laws approved by the Congress; name and remove cabinet officials, the Attorney General of Mexico, diplomats and ranking officials of the Treasury, and functionaries whose position was not determined through other Constitutional means; maintain internal peace and provide for national defense -- for which he can dispatch armed forces; represent Mexico before other nations; convene Congress for extraordinary sessions; enforce judicial rulings; maintain ports and establish customs duties; and grant pardons.

Secretarías
The Secretarios de Estado and heads of administrative departments report directly to the president. Nominations and approval, as well as dismissal, do not need approval of the Congress. For this reason, acts of Secretarios are considered acts of the president of the republic.
 

*The Secretaría de Gobernación is not analagous to the United States' Department of the Interior. Gobernación handles immigration, visa, security and other issues.

There is also an extended cabinet, which represents parastatal or decentralized, but government-affiliated and government-run, entities. Some agencies, particularly parastatals, are undergoing partial or complete privatization. Major entities within the extended cabinet include:

Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS), Banco de México (Banxico), Ferrocarriles Nacionales (Ferronales), Nacional Financiera (Nafin), Banco Nacional de Comercio Exterior (Bancomext), and several others.

Legistative Branch
Legislative power rests with the Congress of the Union, which is divided into two chambers: the Chamber of Deputies and the Chamber of Senators. The Chamber of Deputies consists of 300 deputies elected following a vote based on simple majority within a system of electoral districts, and 200 deputies elected following the principle of proportional representation, within a system of at-large districts. The Chamber of Senators is made up of four senators from each state and four from the Federal District.

Both chambers meet from the 1st of September to the 31st of December each year and can be called together for extraordinary sessions.

The Congress has the authority to admit new states or territories to the union, form new entities, regulate conflicts between states and change the residence of the government powers; it can legislate for the Federal District and territories; expedite income laws, approve public accounts and expenses, authorize government loans and determine monetary units; prevent state restrictions to commerce; declare war on a foreign nation at the request of the president and regulate functioning of the armed forces; expedite laws related to federal well being, such as health, commerce, education and other areas; fill a vacancy of the presidency; create and supervise public works and determine the symbols of the nation.

The Senate
The Chamber of Senators has other functions as well, including approval of treaties and conventions with foreign powers, ratification of diplomatic and consular appointments, authorization of sending troops outside the country, naming provisional governors when necessary, resolving conflicts that arise between entities of the republic, authorization of appointments to the Supreme Court of Justice.

Following 1994 elections and as a result of constitutional reform, the Senate consists of four representatives from each of the 31 states, plus four from the Federal District. Of the four seats from the Federal District, three are elected by majority vote and is assigned to the ranking opposition party. There are 128 senators, who serve six-year terms and cannot be reelected.

Chamber of Deputies
The Chamber of Deputies has exclusive legislative rights and responsibilities following an outline set in article 3 of the Constitution, in matters of finance, in commercial matters between federal entities, and in matters related to war, public education and health. It has the prerogative of establishing the Electoral College to qualify elections for the presidency and it can determine the pertinence of bringing charges against public servants who have committed a transgression against the common good.

The makeup of the Chamber of Deputies has been transformed through successive electoral reforms, especially 1964 when representation of minority parties was introduced. In 1979, further changes were made in the chamber. There are 300 deputies elected following the principle of simple majority within electoral districts, and 200 deputies elected following the principle of proportional representation, within a system of regional districts. Deputies serve three year terms and they cannot be reelected.

The Judiciary
Judicial power exists at both the federal and local level, as established in the Constitution and through common law practice and procedures. Judicial power at the federal level lies with the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation and circuit courts (Tribunales Unitarios de Circuito, an appellate-level court; and Tribunales Colegiados de Circuito) and district courts, which handle civil, penal, administrative, labor and agrarian matters. At the local level, in the Federal District, the judicial power rests with the Superior Tribunal of Justice. Under this court are the Courts of First Instance and Courts of Peace.

Members of the judiciary, ministers, magistrates and district judges, are not elected by popular vote. According to constitutional procedure, nominations to the Supreme Court are made by the president and approved by the Senate. Circuit and district court appointments are named by the Supreme Court.

Judicial Reform, 1995
Dec. 5, 1994, President Zedillo proposed a program of judicial reform, which was approved the same month by the Congress, and whose principal objective is to strengthen the Supreme Court. Major changes include:

• Extension of the authority of the Supreme court to determine constitutionality of laws.

• Incorporation of procedures that better guarantee the principle of division of power.

• Establishment of a new procedure for the approval of ministers, a process that places the Senate in charge and reduces the number of ministers from 26 to11.

• Express prohibition of former public functionaries ascending directly to the Supreme Court.

• Creation of a Judiciary Board, that will assume administrative functions of the Supreme Court.

• Mechanisms to defend the citizenry when the Public Minister does not comply with his duty.

In addition to the courts are the Attorney General's Office, and the National Commission of Human Rights, created by presidential decree in 1990, and the Federal Electoral Institute.

The Federal Electoral Institute (Instituto Federal Electoral)
Political reforms of 1989-90, 1993 and 1994 solidified electoral laws. The Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) is an autonomous, permanent body with electoral authority and in charge of organizing elections for the presidency, the Congress.

The IFE was established as a completely independent entity, apart from other branches of Mexico's government. It has four mandates: contribute to the democratic development of the country; preserve and fortify the government by political parties; integrate the federal electoral rolls; assure citizens the right to exercise electoral rights; guarantee the regular and peaceful elections of legislature and the presidency and ensure the authenticity of the elections.

In January, 1993, the IFE authorized the registration of nine political parties to run in 1994's executive and legislative races. Parties now (2001) represented in the Chamber of Deputies and Senate include:

• Partido Acción Nacional (PAN), founded Sept. 16, 1939.

• Partido de la Revolución Democratica (PRD) founded May 6, 1989 by former members of the PRI.

• Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), founded in 1929 with the name Partido Nacional Revolucionario, in 1938 it changed its name to Partido de la Revolución Mexicana (PRM) and finally in 1946 it adopted its current name. Since its foundation as the PNR following Mexico's revolution, all presidents of the nation have come from this party until the last elections won by the Alliance for Change Coalition (headed by the PAN) in the year 2000.

• Partido del Trabajo (PT), founded in 1990.

• Partido Verde Ecologista de México (PVEM) was formed in 1993. Partido Alianza Social (PAS) , Partido de la sociedad Nacionalista (PSN), and Convergencia por la Democracia Partido Politico Nacional (CDPPN) are all small parties represented in Mexico's Congress.

In 1994 presidential elections, the PRI garnered just over half of the electoral votes (50.2 percent); the second closest candidate, PAN's Fernández de Ceballos, obtained 26.7 percent of electoral votes; the PRD received 17.1 percent. More than 77 percent of the nation's eligible voters turned out for the election. In 1997's federal elections, voters for the first time in recent history elected a head of government in Mexico City. Cuauhtemoc Cardenas won handily and his party, the PRD, showed impressive gains in the legislature. The PRD and the PAN allied to control the Chamber of Deputies.

In the 2000 presidential elections, the PAN's Vicente Fox won 43% of the vote, for the first time beating the PRI presidential candidate, Francisco Labastida Ochoa, who received 36%. The third closest candidate, Cuahutemoc Cardenas (PRD), received 17% of the vote.