MACMILLAN Presidential Elections in Mexico: From Hegemony to Pluralism

This book analyzes the transformation of the Mexican political system during the last four decades, focusing on its presidential elections. As the country has shifted away from an authoritarian political system, ruled by a hegemonic party, it has become a more moderate, pluralistic society, marked by electoral competition between contestant parties.  Using a mixed methodology, including historical and statistical analysis, the author argues that the fight for clean and fair elections in Mexico has a long history of contestation and conflict, entailing at once movements towards democracy yet also processes of de-democratization.” Review “After the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) México gave form to one of the most successful authoritarian systems of the 20th century. The strong roots of its undemocratic institutions and political culture have made extremely difficult and prolonged its democratic transition. By carefully examining the way in which presidential elections without meaning evolved into competitive although unfair ones, professor Reynaldo Ortega provides the reader with a good panorama of the political transformation of México in the last half a century and highlights the nature of the bumpy road still has to travel a hybrid political system before becoming a bona fide electoral democracy.” (Lorenzo Meyer, Professor Emeritus, El Colegio de México)     From the Back Cover This book analyzes the transformation of the Mexican political system during the last four decades seen through the lens of its presidential elections. In the 1970s, Mexican presidential elections were without choice; thirty years later, the number of candidates and the competition increased dramatically to multiple parties and candidates. How can we classify presidential elections in Mexico between 1976 and 2012? How should these complex processes and the behavior of the Mexican electorate be explained? This monograph uses a mixed methodology including historical and statistical analysis of the presidential elections in Mexico to address these questions. In its chapters, the project presents a typology of presidential elections generally followed by detailed analysis of the presidential elections between 1976 and 2012. About the Author Reynaldo Yunuen Ortega Ortiz is Professor of Political Science at the Center for International Studies at the College of Mexico. He is a Member of the National System of Researchers in Mexico and Chief Editor of the journal  Foro Internacional. In 2012 he was awarded the National Prize of Social Research and Public Opinion.