The Institutional Revolution Party

The Institutional Revolution Party or PRI, dominated political control over Mexico from the late 1920's until the 2000 elections. There are many reasons why the PRI was able to maintain power for so long including corruption, manipulation and taking advantage of patronage to manipulate support. I feel in order to understand the PRI's control over Mexican politics, you have to understand how they came to power.

The PRI came to power during the end of the Mexican Revolution. Various leaders decided to unite their armies to form a Mexican army and share joint control and power over Mexican affairs. This alliance was originally formed as the National Revolutionary Party but eventually became to PRI. They took absolute control over the rule of Mexico and did not have that control diminished until the 2000 Presidential elections, where Vicente Fox Quesada from the PAN party won power. This election was viewed by outside observers, to be the most legitimate election in Mexico's history.

There are many reasons why the PRI has dominated Mexican politics but I feel the most important reason is corruption. The PRI has a long history of manipulating elections or results to their parties favor. This corruption became so blatant and obvious that it was often accepted as normal. The PRI used their influence to rig elections or to control who could vote or what votes where counted.

The PRI also used a patronage system to insure power and control. Those who were loyal to the party received jobs or positions within the government. Some that did not receive direct jobs within the government where awarded contracts and jobs to do work for the government. They used these types of rewards to keep party supporters happy and loyal.

The PRI also had a system in effect where the President would nominate their successor, after discussion from their cabinet and important officials. This type of nomination would eliminate much of the infighting in the party. The new leader would basically be groomed to take control from those in power. Once the new candidate was selected they already had the strong political base needed for control. The nominee would also start to exert some control over political decisions before they are even elected.

The PRI also has had a long history of taking advantage of the poor and underprivileged members of Mexican society. The PRI would often use little gifts or bribes to manipulate the poor and pheasants to vote in their favor. The pheasants