ELECTIONS WHEN THERE WAS NO AUTONOMOUS AND RELIABLE ELECTORAL SYSTEM - HISTORY - 2025

The electoral processes in Mexico to elect the people who will be in command of the country's politics have not always had the traditional elections known today.

Hundreds of years ago, specifically in the 16th century, Mexico was colonized by the Spanish and became part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. The arrival of foreigners to their lands caused a viceroy to be appointed to represent the king of Spain, who did not travel to the New World.

National Commission for Free Textbooks, from Wikimedia Commons

His application was not chosen by the population of the Latin American country; on the contrary, the indigenous populations suffered a series of repressions (such as the cessation of drinking water supply) in order to colonize the place.

Currently, Mexico has an established electoral system that has the National Electoral Institute as the base organization in charge of conducting the elections.

In addition, the laws of the country establish regulations that include legal data, such as the dates and times in which the elections must take place.

Old vote in Mexico

Spiritual conquest of New Spain

Viceroyalty of New Spain 1535-1821

The process to elect the leaders who would lead politics in Mexico did not always have the vote as its main instrument.

Hundreds of years ago, specifically in the 16th century, the public figures who held the reins of the country were imposed after a process of conquest that lasted several years.

The colonization of the Spanish in Mexico, where the indigenous Aztec population predominated, culminated in the renaming of the region to New Spain. In addition, it began to be led by a viceroy, who was the king's representative in the New World.

Actions such as the imprisonment of the last ruler of the Aztecs, Cuauhtémoc, and the interruption of the water supply; As well as the obstruction of health, commerce and communication resources, they contributed so that the Spaniards achieved their mission of colonizing the Mexican land.

The end of the Viceroyalty of New Spain took place in 1821, the same year that the Independence of Mexico was signed, which gave way to the First Mexican Empire.

Characteristics of the agent

A few centuries ago, the process to elect the representative of a State was very different from that observed today.

In the case of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, the viceroy was chosen by the Spanish Royal House that was in command at that time; social position was one of the main characteristics that were taken into account to give the position to the person who would represent the king in America.

Modern Voting in Mexico: Federal Elections

Mexico City

First years of the process

Little is known about the exact date on which a defined electoral system was established in Mexico, as well as the requirements that the population had to meet to participate.

According to some records, the beginning of the modern vote in Mexico occurred in the year 1810, while others date it to 1821 (with the end of the Viceroyalty of New Spain).

There are records on the elections of deputies in the region for the year 1823, when the First Mexican Empire was established; Despite this, there is little data on the conditions in which they were carried out or on the characteristics that leaders should have to run for office.

The influence of certain political systems of countries like Spain was of great importance for the establishment of the bases of the Mexican electoral system.

The universal vote could usually be carried out by men over the age of 25 who were the support of their family, single, married or widowed, nobles or commoners, without criminal records, or holders of debts to public funds.

Federal Elections of Mexico

The electoral processes to renew the positions corresponding to the federal powers of popular election, such as the Executive Power (whose position is exercised by the president) and the Legislative Power (made up of the Senate of the Republic and the Chamber of Deputies), have been developed in Mexico since the nineteenth century.

Federal Elections of Mexico of 1824

Held in August 1824, the federal elections of that year served to elect for the first time in the history of Mexico the positions of President of the Republic and Vice President of Mexico.

In the case of the President of the Republic, the result of the electoral process left Guadalupe Victoria as the one in charge of exercising the presidential period between 1825 and 1829.

In the case of the vice presidency, Nicolás Bravo obtained the majority of the votes to work during the same period of time.

Some of the most important electoral reforms

Cathedral of Mexico City

The Federal Electoral Law of 1946

The institutionalization of the electoral processes in Mexico began with this law. The centralized control of the government over the elections, the restriction of access of political parties and the method of scrutiny were established in said regulations.

Inclusion of women in the Mexican electoral system

Women were able to participate for the first time in an electoral process on July 3, 1955 to elect federal deputies for the XLIII Legislature. This was a milestone in the history of the electoral system of the Central American country.

The electoral system underwent various reforms over the years. Among these are: the Federal Law on Political Organizations and Electoral Processes (LFOPPE), the Electoral Reform of 1987, that of 1991, that of 1994 and that of 1996; the last of these reforms was the one that caused the most changes to the electoral process.

Electoral system today

Electoral process

The electoral process in Mexico today is very different compared to the way in which the country's leaders were elected during the 16th century.

Today, federal elections (Presidency of the Republic, Deputies and Senators that make up the Congress of the Union) are organized by the National Electoral Institute.

Thus, there are currently two types of elections: ordinary, which comply with the voting stipulated in a law that establishes that the process must be carried out every six years; and the extraordinary ones, which are held when the ordinary elections are suspended for some major reason.

Stages

The electoral process in Mexico is made up of four stages. The first is the preparation of the elections, at which time they carry out the electoral campaigns in a period stipulated between 60 and 90 days. In addition, a lottery is held to determine which citizens will be polling station officials.

The second stage is about election day itself. This process takes place on the first Sunday of July of the election year from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm; once the day is over, they count the votes and the results are announced (which makes up the third stage).

The fourth and last stage of the process corresponds to the opinion and the declaration of the validity of the election.

References

1. Elections in Mexico, Wikipedia in English, (nd). Taken from wikipedia.org
2. Electoral reforms at the federal level in Mexico, Portal El Cotidiano, (2011). Taken from redalyc.org
3. Federal Elections of Mexico, Wikipedia in Spanish, (nd). Taken from wikipedia.org
4. The Electoral System in Mexico 1823-1824, Portal Magazine of the School of Law of Mexico, (2018). Taken from Users / Administrator / Downloads
5. 63 years of the vote of women in Mexico are commemorated, Portal Excelsior, (2018), Taken from excelsior.com.mx
6. The history of the vote in Mexico, Portal Televisa News, (2018). Taken from noticieros.televisa.com