Mexico?

[ThePrezMex]

We have always voted directly to elect the President.
Whoever wins the popular vote wins the election, doesn't need an absolute majority.
In 2000, Vicente Fox from the National Action Party (PAN) won the presidency with 42.5% of the vote, against Francisco Labastida of the until then ruling Institutal Revolutionary Party (PRI) who got 36.1% and Cuauhtemoc Cardenas of the leftist Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) with 16.6%. Smaller parties got the rest.
New elections in July 2006. No reelection.

[ThePrezMex]

Well, basically you need to concentrate in the big, highly populated states. Small states have very little importance, although in a close election every vote counts.

In 2000, President Fox won 20 out of 32 states. Labastida won 11 and Cardenas won 1 (his homestate of Michoacan).

The largest states are: Mexico, Federal District, Veracruz, Jalisco, Guanajuato, Puebla, Nuevo Leon and Michoacan. Those 8 states have 55% of the votes.

[ThePrezMex]

LOL
Yes, elections are dry. They allowed selling alcohol in Mexico City in 2000, but changed it back again in 2003.
Also, elections are always on a Sunday (I guess most european countries vote on Sundays also?).

[ThePrezMex]

ok.. in order:

No, BC = PAN (They have won the governorship 3 straight times and Fox won there by 13 points, although it seems that yesterday the PRI won back the city of Tijuana in a very close election).
BCS has a governor from the leftist PRD, but the state is basically split evenly between the 3 major parties. In the 2000 presidential election, Fox got 36.8%, Labastida (PRI) 34% and the PRD 27.3%. BCS is very small in terms of population.

I agree with the comment about the perception of the role of the government. You could say, in a generalization, that the northern states prefer a more limited government and that the contrary happens in the south, just as you pointed out. I could say that northern states are more "republican" and southern more "democratic".

Then you have very different things in the central region. For example, the state of Guanajuato, homestate of President Fox could be compared to the Carolinas - very socially conservative, with big industrial and trade cities like Leon and also a strong rural area. You have the most populated state: Mexico, which surrounds the Federal District. Fox won there by a huge margin, 12%, but the PRI maintains the governorship, and the PRD is very strong in some areas; you could picture that state as being a gigantic New Jersey + a section like affluent, conservative VA suburbs + east LA + a rural area all into one state that in terms of population would be the Mexican equivalent of California. (don't know if that made sense).

In Mexico City (The Federal District or DF) the mayor is from the leftist PRD although he's from the southern state of Tabasco, with a thick accent from there that makes him subject of frequent impersonations from comedians. The PRD governs Mexico City since 1997. There's no way in which the PRI can win there again in the foreseeable future. The mayor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, is a populist, kind of light charm and funny, powermaniac, very smart and yet delirious man who is right now the front runner in the presidential race. Pic of him:


Wow.. to 21 states? I think you've been to more states than me... well, the same, I just counted.

[ThePrezMex]

What does BCS=PAN mean?

BCS is the state of Baja California Sur
BC is Baja California

PAN is the National Action Party of President Fox.

I would like to post some maps.. but don't know where to find Mexico maps with the state divisions to paint them and post them.

[ThePrezMex]

Thanks.
I wanted a plain Mexico map with its states division, just like the one we use here of the United States in order to pain the states by party colors.
So I didn't need to refer to this one from the Federal Electoral Institute:

[ThePrezMex]

Is there any particular channel that devotes itself on Mexican issues?

That's exactly what I want to do. Something like this site but for Mexico.

[ThePrezMex]

Hey, I didn't understand what Camejo has to do with Mexico? Were you trying to reply to a posting in another thread at the same time?

[ThePrezMex]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Yeah, they continued making Beetles there into the '90s!

The last one was produced last year!! they have a special edition to commerate it.

[ThePrezMex]

PrezMex,

Have you started to make a Mexican page like this?

No, not yet. I'm not that skilled, technologically speaking, so I'm trying to learn how to do it.

[ThePrezMex]

Hey, do you have any other questions about Mexico elections and political process?

[ThePrezMex]

Hey, do you have any other questions about Mexico elections and political process?

I have a question. Why are PRD and PRI both members of Socialists International? What is the real differance between the two parties?

Sure. The PRD is truly on the left. They have people as moderate as social democrats all the way to former communists. Although it has to be said that no one in that party is now very radical. The PRD has very liberal positions regarding abortion, gay rights, women rights, etc.. are protectionist on trade, big government, etc. They are close to the Socialist Party of Spain and France and the PT in Brazil. Thus, they naturally belong to the Socialists International.

The PRI is different. It is an umbrella party, very similar to the Congress Party of India. The PRI includes people as far right as former Presidents Zedillo who is staunchly in favor of free trade, globalization, deregulation, privatization to the left with radical union and peasant leaders. American educated technocrats (guess I will qualify as one when I finish studying here) to old politicians (know as dinosaurs). The reason the PRI is in the Socialists International was that President Echeverria (1970-76) who was a populist, decided that way, when he was part of the non-aligned movement. The PRI has basically abandoned that position, although some may be willing to push it that way again.

[ThePrezMex]

Hey, Angus.
That might be...or maybe you just read dislike of Bush as "dislike of Bush" rather than as "Anti-Americanism"...

Here's a German poll I found funny...
do you think it would be better for improving Germany's relations with the US if
-Kerry won 49%
-Bush won 3%
-makes no difference 39%
-don't know 9%
That everybody agrees they should improve was apparently taken for granted by whoever crafted the question.

I wonder what percent of respondents would chose the option that relations shouldn't improve.  I have to admit I'd be in the 39% group on this one.  And, yes, my point was that our media is, in fact, selling anti-Bush propaganda as anti-American propaganda.  Still, you gotta admire the fact that Schroeder's been about as anti-USA as anyone, and wasn't shy about it, and became chancellor.  Probably that's all just coincidence.  

Hey Angus and Lewis, I've been enjoying your deep exchange about perceptions of the United States in Germany but, don't you think it shouldn't be on the "Mexico" thread?
Although at least it keeps the thread alive... I'm still expecting more people to ask me about Mexico.

[ThePrezMex]

how old do youu have to be to run for president in Mexico?

Exactly the same as in the United States - 35yo.

[ThePrezMex]

Prez Mex,

what were the Mexican Presidential results in the 1988 and 1994 elections?

Thanks,

K4P

Hey K4P, sorry for not replying earlier - I've been pretty busy with school and stuff. I will post the national and state results, and will try to make up some maps before Sunday.

[ThePrezMex]

Hey K4P, sorry for not replying earlier - I've been pretty busy with school and stuff. I will post the national and state results, and will try to make up some maps before Sunday.

Have you made any yet PrezMex?

huh?  any maps yet?

This weekend! I promise, I promise. Maybe even sooner.

[ThePrezMex]

Hey!! I have maps now!  finally! - sorry for the delay, I've been pretty busy. The maps are for the elections of 1988, 1994 and 2000.
In 1988 and 1994 the PRI won and in 2000 the PAN won.
I tried to draw the maps with different shades of color depending the percentages on each state.
Green is PRI; Blue is PAN and Red is PRD (it was supposed to be yellow, but couldn't make color distinctions with yellow).
In 1988 the PRI won all states except: Distrito Federal, Mexico, Morelos, Michoacan and Baja California that went for the PRD.
In 1994 the PRI won every single state! - although it almost lost the state of Jalisco to the PAN (around 2% difference) and had under 40% of the votes in several ones. In 2000, the change in colors is self descriptive. I have the aggregate data by state if you want to know it.







Please comment on them and ask me.

[ThePrezMex]

Hey! I made the maps that was so insistently asked for, and then nobody commented anything. Where's K4P??
I'm bumping this to see if somebody comments anything and has any question about Mexican elections.
We had some governor elections recently.

[ThePrezMex]

Hey guys, thanks for your interest and questions. I'm really sorry it is taking me that long to post back, but I have one 20 page paper due on Friday and another paper due early next week, so I've been pretty busy.
As soon as I finish all I will post again.
I do have the graphics that Tredrick asked for and I have tables with the data.
K4P: it is not brown, is olive green (at least in my screen).

I need some help though: I have the graphs and tables in excel, but don't know how to post those here. One alternative is to upload the excel file to the page that is hosting my maps and put the link here - But I would like to show the graphs here as an image. Does anybody know how to convert excel graphs into images (just as the maps)?

[ThePrezMex]

Bump

If anybody (there are new people) have any questions about Mexico, please read this thread and feel free to post any other question here.
I'll be happy to answer them and read your opinions.

[ThePrezMex]

Another Bump to this thread.
I've seen that at least someone started posting and asking something about Mexico.
Here we have some information that I've posted in the past months. We can start again the questions and comments.

[ThePrezMex]

I'm going to put here the links of the main political parties in Mexico as well as the one of the IFE (Federal Elections Institute) which is the independent body that regulates elections.
Unfortunately I think all the sites are only in Spanish, but maybe several of you can understand:

IFE (information also in English and French):
http://www.ife.org.mx/InternetCDA/HOME/home.jsp

PRI:
http://www.pri.org.mx/estadetulado/index.html

PAN:
http://www.pan.org.mx/

PRD:
http://www.prd.org.mx/