President of Mexico

The President of United Mexican States is the head of state of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the head of government and the commander-in-chief of the Mexican army, navy, and air force.

Presidential powers

Since the presidential institution stabilized after the Revolution, the president held almost absolute power over the country, decreasing somewhat into the later years of the 20th century. Held as the most important PRI member, the unwritten rules of the party allowed him to designate party officials and candidates, the latter winning every election usually by electoral fraud. So, he had an important (but not exclusive) influence over the political life of the country (part of his power had to be shared to unions and other groups, but as an individual he had no peers). This, and his constitutional powers, made some political commentators describe the president as a six-year dictator, and to call this system "Imperial Presidency". This power reached its peak around the early 1980s, when a grave economic crisis created discomfort both in the population and inside the party, and the President's power was no longer absolute but still impressive.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

An important characteristic of this system (its first example the harsh treatment meted out by new president Lázaro Cárdenas to Plutarco Elías Calles in the 1930s) is that the new president was chosen by the old one (as a candidate with an assured win) but once he assumed power, the old one lost all power and influence (no reelection is a cornerstone of Mexican politics). This renewed command helped mantain party displine and avoided the stagnation associated with a single man holding power for decades, prompting a notable writer to call Mexico's political system "the perfect dictatorship".

Related Topics:
Lázaro Cárdenas - Plutarco Elías Calles

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

///

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In elementary school, however, children were taught that the president held 70% of all power.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~