Mexico: Politics and Governance

Mexico is a federal presidential republic composed of 32 states, with power divided among executive, legislative, and judicial branches at both the national and state levels. The President serves as both head of state and head of government, elected to a single six-year term known as a sexenio, while the bicameral Congress consists of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. The country operates under its 1917 Constitution, one of the first in the world to enshrine social rights alongside traditional civil liberties.

For most of the 20th century, Mexican politics was dominated by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which held the presidency continuously from 1929 until 2000, when opposition victories marked a significant democratic transition. Since then, Mexico has experienced competitive multi-party elections and peaceful transfers of power. The country is an active member of the United Nations, the Organization of American States, and the USMCA trade agreement with the United States and Canada, while continuing to address governance challenges including corruption and public security.