Democratization and Social Movements (Mexico)

Abstract

The Mexican democratic transition has been characterized as a protracted one, with no clear foundational elections, but a prolonged liberalizing period of reforms that have gradually regulated electoral competition and opened up opportunities for political opposition and contentious dissent. This entry describes the relationship between contentious and electoral politics in the country in the last 50 years. It analyzes the indirect effects of social unrest on electoral reforms, as well as the consequences of elections on deepening democratizing social mobilization in Mexico.