ABSTRACT
What is to be concluded about the forces operating on the emergence of multiparty politics in Mexico? While change was ongoing from 1964, it accelerated as a consequence of electoral reforms. As noted earlier, the most important step in this process of democratization was the “citizen-run Federal Election Institute (IFE), reformed in 1996 to exclude political party representatives from all decision making controlled by citizen councilors nominated and approved by the three major political parties” (Chand, p. 291). These changes enabled Partido Accion Nacional and other parties, especially Partido de la Revolucion Democratica to launch organized challenges to Partido Revolucionario Institucional’s lock on the political process. Under the leadership of Vicente Fox, PAN had a strong power base centering in Guanajuato and was able to appeal to voters in areas where the level of urbanization was higher, as well as in oil extractive states. The power base of the PRD derived from the strength of Cuauhtemoc Cardenas in his home state of Michoacan, but extended to a strong appeal to workers in the southern states Guerrero and Tabasco, in Baja California Sur, and in the Federal District. In the face of these challenges, PRI retreated to a residual party position in states with greatest proportion of non-Spanish speaking indigenous population such as Chiapas, Oaxaca or Hidalgo, as well as holding on in some more urbanized states, such as Sinaloa, Chihuahua or Yucatan.
