Raphael on Disillusionment with Democracy

Ricardo Raphael mentions a few possible motivations for Mexico's rising disenchantment with its democratic system. One is the economy; another is the party's usurping the will of the public, evidenced by its neutering of the IFE's independence and the consequent decline in that institution's popularity. I don't find either of those particularly convincing. As far the economy, it seems logical that if people's discontent with their financial situation were to spill over into other realms, it would be reflected in a lack of support for Calderón before it showed up in declining support for democracy in the abstract. As far as the IFE, the decline in support is more likely to due to the controversial role it played in the 2006 elections and the hammering it took from pejistas. I don't image that the replacement of its thoroughly independent representatives with party operatives made much of an impression on the public.

A third explanation seems more logical. While other nations' democratic transition was the natural outgrowth of grass-roots democratic efforts, in Mexico it was largely the product of an accommodation of different power groups. As a result, the effort to democratize Mexico was less extensive:

Beyond the right to vote, the quality of our citizenship has almost not improved at all. As much in our civil rights as in our social norms we are as far behind as we were a decade ago.

Why should Mexicans be content with the function of a democracy that has only served to define the rules of competition between the powerful and the branches of government?

I think it's dangerous to use the above as an excuse for not participating (i.e. in the null vote movement), but as far as understanding why Mexicans might be less satisfied with their democracy than, say, Chile, it makes for interesting food for thought.