Resumo

MENDEZ DE HOYOS, Irma. El sistema de partidos en México: fragmentación y consolidación. Perf. latinoam. [online]. 2007, vol.14, n.29, pp.7-45. ISSN 0188-7653.

This paper analyzes some of the features of the current Mexican party system and, in particular, the degree of fragmentation and party performance. It has been argued that the increased fragmentation of the system could be related to the breakdown of party representation and institutional functions. In this context, this work explores the relation between the number of parties and a set of indicators of their systemic functions, such as electoral competitivity, political participation and government stability, as well as the degree of citizens' trust in the political parties and of their satisfaction with democracy. The aim is to discuss some of the characteristics of the new political parties' system in Mexico, in the framework of democratic consolidation, as well as the relation between its performance and the increasing number of parties between 1979-2003.

Palavras-chave : parties; elections; democracy; fragmentation; democratic transition; party functions.