Mexico’s Political Life: The ‘Reform’ That Wasn’t

Just a few months ago, pending political reforms in Mexico were being hailed as the start of a new era in that country. But now that the powerful Party of the Institutionalized Revolution, or PRI as it is best known, has flexed its muscle, it looks as if genuine political reform will have to wait quite a bit longer.

The electoral “reform” as approved in the Mexican Congress last week restricts the formation of multi-party coalitions and access to the media and gives PRI candidates the largest percentage of public funds for their campaigns. That’s unfair; worse, that is not what was agreed to over the last 18 months of hard negotiations conducted to arrive at reforms that would satisfy all four political parties in Mexico.

Apparently the PRI’s majority in Congress fears losing its grip on power if all parties have equal standing. But by reneging on a covenant, the PRI has once again undermined the faith of the Mexican people in the ability of their political institutions.

The behavior of the PRI majority reinforces the deep disillusionment many Mexicans already feel. Mexico is going through a severe crisis of confidence, and its leaders are behaving as if they do not realize it. The economic situation of most Mexicans has deteriorated dramatically; the Mexican middle class is shrinking even faster than its U.S. counterpart. The justice system is undermined by some members of law enforcement. The Mexican attorney general in August fired 737 federal police officers because they did not fit what he called the required “ethical profile.” (On the day they were fired, 10 had shown up at their headquarters driving stolen cars.) Political corruption scandals such as the unexplained bank accounts in Switzerland of a brother of a former Mexican president keep on making headlines.

All these problems could hurt Mexican relations with the United States. Among the many issues on the bilateral agenda that can be negatively affected is trade.

The astonishing growth of trade between the two countries under NAFTA could suffer, thus damaging the one economic engine that is producing jobs. Tourism from the United States, which represents the third-highest source of income to the Mexican economy, could diminish. It’s not that Mexico has unique problems; it is the compilation of unaddressed political, economic and social ailments that prompts concern on both sides of the border.

President Ernesto Zedillo must stop his party’s attempts to slow down Mexico’s political reform process. More than the intraparty squabbling of the PRI is at stake.