Key Figures and Events in Modern Mexican Politics

Posted on Mar 25, 2025 in History

Vicente Fox: PAN politician elected in 2000. His election ended the PRI’s one-party dominance.
Cárdenas (and his son): One established the PRI, and the other established the PRD.
De la Madrid: PRI President during the economic collapse of 1982. Oil prices dropped, destroying the Mexican economy. He requested funds from the IMF, leading to a structural adjustment program. Austerity measures reduced PRI support.
Salinas: PRI President from 1988-94. His election was marred by fraud, leading to the creation of the IFE. He also engaged in austerity measures.
Ernesto Zedillo: The last PRI President (prior to Peña Nieto), elected in 1994. He did not handpick a successor.

NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement): A 1994 agreement opening free trade between Mexico, the USA, and Canada. It caused mixed feelings among Mexicans, further dividing support for the PRI.
IFE (Federal Electoral Institute): An organization created in 1990 and reformed in 1996 to reduce corruption in Mexican elections, especially after the fraudulent 1988 election.
Camarillas: A system of patron-client relationships established by the generals who originally founded the PRI. They provided government handouts in exchange for political support.
Pendulum Effect: The PRI’s policy of alternating between leftist (Cárdenas) and rightist (Alemán) policies to maintain broad support.
Zapatistas: A group of insurgents in Southern Mexico who used violent measures after NAFTA to voice displeasure with the PRI. Since 2000, they have become a political organization.
Parastatals: Technically privately owned companies, but overseen and staffed at the top levels by presidential appointees. They are effectively part of the state and the patron-client network.
Structural Adjustment Program: A program imposed by the IMF in exchange for loans to help Mexico out of debt. It resulted in Mexico implementing austerity measures.

PRD (Party of the Democratic Revolution): A leftist opposition party. Its ideology centers on human rights and social justice. It draws support from the South, which has the highest concentration of poverty.
PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party): Created in 1929 by caudillos to stabilize the government. It was dominant until 2000 and established a massive patron-client network.
PAN (National Action Party): A rightist opposition party with a conservative ideology. Notable PAN presidents include Fox and Calderón. It receives support from the Catholic Church due to its stances against abortion and same-sex marriage, and from religious Northerners in the private sector.