Politics of Mexico

The politics of Mexico work within a system where the country is a federal presidential representative democratic republic. The President of Mexico serves as both the head of state and the head of government. This system helps organize how leaders make decisions for the country.

The federal government is split into three main parts: the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. These branches were set up by the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States, which was published in 1917. This constitution is like a rulebook that guides how the government works.

Executive power is led by the President, who has a group of advisors called a cabinet. Legislative power belongs to the Congress of the Union, which has two parts: the Senate of the Republic and the Chamber of Deputies. These groups make the laws. The judicial branch, including the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, makes sure the laws are followed fairly.

Framework of twentieth-century politics

The Mexican Revolution (1910–1920) began after the end of Porfirio Díaz's rule. This led to a new government under the Constitution of 1917. Leaders like Alvaro Obregón and Plutarco Elías Calles took control. A new party, the Partido Nacional Revolucionario (PNR), was formed to help keep the country stable.

Later, under President Lázaro Cárdenas (1934–40), the party changed and became more organized. In 1946, it became the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). During this time, the government took control of important industries and shared land with peasants. In the 1960s, there were protests against the government's control. In 1982, Mexico began moving toward more democratic elections. A new group, the Party of the Democratic Revolution, formed in 1989 after some disagreements within the PRI. An independent group, the Instituto Federal Electoral (IFE), was created in 1990 to manage elections fairly.

Political parties

Main article: List of political parties in Mexico

Political parties in Mexico help people choose their leaders. They let citizens vote for leaders based on their ideas. All parties must register with the National Electoral Institute, which organizes elections. Parties need to get at least 3% of votes to stay registered. They get money from the government and can also get private money, but there are rules about how much they can collect.

As of 2026, several parties are registered and have members in Congress. These include the National Action Party, the Institutional Revolutionary Party, the Green Ecological Party, Labor Party, Citizens’ Movement, and the National Regeneration Movement.

Political parties sometimes work together to support a candidate. This group is called a coalition. The coalition has its own name and symbol. Seats in Congress are given based on how many votes the coalition gets and then shared among the parties.

For many years, the PRI was the most powerful party in Mexico. But now, other parties have become stronger. Today, the main parties in Mexico are the PRI, the National Action Party, the Party of the Democratic Revolution, and National Regeneration Movement (Morena).

Elections and political composition of the institutions

See also: Elections in Mexico

In Mexico, anyone who is 18 or older can vote in elections. Voting is free, secret, and done by the people directly. All citizens are automatically registered to vote when they get their identity document, so they don’t need to sign up separately. All elections are done by the people, not by an electoral college, except when the president is missing, and then Congress chooses a new one.

Presidential elections happen every six years, but sometimes this can change. Legislative elections for the Senate happen every six years, and for the Chamber of Deputies every three years. Elections used to be held on the first Sunday in July, but now they are held on the first Sunday in June. Each state has its own elections for governors and state legislatures, which happen at different times.

A key idea in Mexican politics is that leaders usually don’t serve more than one term. The president can only serve one six-year term. Members of Congress can now serve up to 12 years in a row.

Federal elections

2006

Main article: 2006 Mexican general election

In 2006, a presidential election was held on July 2, along with elections for both houses of Congress. Different parties formed coalitions, and Felipe Calderón was chosen as president. He began his term on December 1, 2006.

2012

Main article: 2012 Mexican general election

In 2012, Enrique Peña Nieto was elected president.

2018

Main article: 2018 Mexican general election

In 2018, Andrés Manuel López Obrador was elected president. He led a coalition of three parties, including the party he founded called Morena.

2024

Main article: 2024 Mexican general election

In 2024, Claudia Sheinbaum was elected president.

State elections

See also: State governments of Mexico

Each state in Mexico holds its elections at different times, not always at the same time as federal elections. As of 2026:

• The PRI governs 2 states: Coahuila and Durango.
• The PAN governs 4 states: Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Guanajuato, and Querétaro.
• The PVEM governs a state: San Luis Potosí.
• MC governs 2 states: Jalisco and Nuevo León.
• Morena governs the remaining 23 states.

Historical political development

See also: History of democracy in Mexico

The Mexican Revolution (1910–1920) happened, and then the Great Depression made life hard for many people. In 1929, groups that fought in the revolution joined to form one party called the National Revolutionary Party (NRP). This helped bring peace.

During the years after 1928, many ideas from the revolution became laws. These included giving land to farmers, taking control of oil companies, starting health programs for workers and families, and protecting local businesses.

The NRP later changed its name to the Mexican Revolution Party and then the Institutional Revolutionary Party. This party stayed in charge for a long time. Even though elections happened, the party found ways to stay in power.

In the 1970s, rules changed to let other parties have a small part in government. In 1989, the state of Baja California became the first to have a leader from another party.

Some important leaders left the Institutional Revolutionary Party over the years, like Juan Andreu Almazán in 1940 and Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas in 1988. Cárdenas started a new party called the Party of the Democratic Revolution.

The election in 1988 was important because it was the first time a strong challenge came from another party. Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas got many votes, while Carlos Salinas de Gortari from the PRI won.

In the 1990s, new rules were made to make elections fairer. The presidential election of 1994 was seen as one of the fairest ever. Ernesto Zedillo from the PRI won.

In 1997, no party had most of the seats in Congress, and in 2000, Vicente Fox became the first president from another party in many years.

After 1989, many changes were made to make elections more fair. In 2006, the PRI lost many seats. Felipe Calderón became president. In 2012, Enrique Peña Nieto brought the PRI back to power.

In 2018, Andrés Manuel López Obrador became president, and in 2021, his party lost some seats but still kept control.