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Lessons to Build On: The 1994 Mexican Presidential Election

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Renee G. Scherlen*
Affiliation:
Appalachian State University

Extract

The 1994 presidential election presents a paradox for students of Mexican politics in particular and democratization in general. The year witnessed many numerous and far-reaching changes, both planned and unplanned. An uprising in the state of Chiapas; the assassination of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) candidate, Luis Donaldo Colosio; a sweeping electoral reform; and a hotly contested presidential race marked the unprecedented year in Mexican politics. The election results, however, were the same as in every previous presidential election for more than sixty years: a victory by the PRI candidate, in this case Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León. How to explain this? What significance does the outcome have for understanding the process of regime democratization?

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © University of Miami 1998

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