Our expertise with the P.R.I. taught us {that a} one-party system doesn’t particularly worth democracy, freedom and the rule of legislation. If the congressional elections affirm Mr. López Obrador’s whole management of Congress, he would worth them even much less. Mexico’s authorities would have develop into a one-man rule.
But when the federal government loses its absolute majority within the chamber within the elections, Mexico may recuperate a sure stability of powers. If not, will probably be tough for very important democratic establishments just like the Transparency Institute, which promotes accountability by granting folks simpler entry to public info, and the Nationwide Electoral Institute, which organizes and oversees elections across the nation, to take care of their autonomy.
Mr. López Obrador has usually publicly put stress on each establishments. He has introduced his intention to dissolve the previous and, with an absolute majority within the chamber, he may simply management the latter for the presidential elections of 2024 and 2030, a transfer that might diminish the credibility of the electoral course of.
Mr. López Obrador merely doesn’t imagine within the rule of legislation to resolve Mexico’s issues. Quite the opposite, he generally behaves as if he embodies the state and the legislation.
The Mexican president is a left-wing populist who views capitalists’ consumerism disdainfully and claims to take care of the poor. And but, his financial insurance policies, which have elevated inequality and poverty in the course of the pandemic, bear vital similarities with these of Mr. Trump.
Mr. López Obrador has additionally polarized his nation, degraded political discourse, lied, defended his various actuality towards “pretend information,” attacked the press, insulted critics, subordinated the Senate, evaded transparency, elevated his management over the courts, reigned over his occasion and discredited the electoral system.
Even earlier than the pandemic, the federal government’s poor administration resulted in damaging balances on essentially the most delicate points. However on this tough yr, the figures are all of the extra dire: Gross home product fell greater than 8.5 %, 3.25 million jobs have been misplaced, and, regardless of the pandemic lockdowns, there have been 35,484 homicides.