Abstract

VALDES-UGALDE, Francisco. Political System and Democracy: Constitutional Conflict in an Incomplete Pluralism. Rev. mex. cienc. polít. soc [online]. 2013, vol.58, n.217, pp.115-138. ISSN 0185-1918.

Two constitutional features frame Mexico’s arrival to democracy: the creation of credible electoral institutions and the preservation of rules corresponding to the authoritarian regime inherited from the decade of the ‘30s in the twentieth century. These two sets of rules clash with each other, a fact which explains the low levels of democratic governance and the low quality of legislation and public policies. The political debate over this contradiction seems to have reached the lowest point and several different alternatives have been formulated to break the deadlock; nevertheless, the necessary political agreements that may clearly define a political path have not been reached. The article describes these processes and lays out the alternatives in dispute as well as possible outcomes in the near future.

Keywords : democracy; governance; State reform; political regime; Pacto por Mexico; human rights.