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Mexico is a constitutional republic with 31 states and a Federal District (Mexico City):
Congress of the Union Mexican SenateNORTH: Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Durango, Sinaloa, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi, Veracruz
CENTRAL: Federal District, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Guanajuato, Queretaro, Mexico, Morelos, Tlaxcala, Puebla
SOUTH: Michoacan, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Quintana Roo
There are nearly a dozen political parties, the most important of which are:
The relatively new Federal Electoral Institute plays a judicial watchdog role for these parties during elections, while managing and distributing party and electoral federal funding.
The President of Mexico is Dr. Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon (biography). He replaced assassinated presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio to win the 1994 presidential elections for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). As president, Zedillo has tremendous power, including a veto on all legislation and the ability to remove state governors. In an effort to democratize his own party, Zedillo has renounced the traditional practice known as the dedazo, the power to name his successor from among PRI party members or his present Executive. In the past, the candidate chosen was a minister of the Executive. Since its formation in 1929, the PRI has never lost a presidential election.
Zedillo's Executive 1995-2000:
Carlos Salomón Camara, Comunicación Social de la Presidencia | Germán Fernández Aguirre, Dirección de Asuntos Jurídicos de la Presidencia
Francisco Labastida Ochoa, Secretaría de Gobernación | Former: Emilio Chuayffet Chemor June 1995 to December 1997 | Esteban Moctezuma Barragán December 1994 to June 1995
José Angel Gurría Treviño, Relaciones Exteriores | Jesus Reyes Heroles González Garza, Energía, Minas e Industria ParaestatalReplaced: José Ignacio Pichardo Pagaza
Guillermo Ortíz, Hacienda y Crédito Público Replaced: Jaime José Serra Puche
Carlos Ruiz Sacristán, Comunicaciones y Transportes Replaced: Guillermo Ortiz Martinez,
Carlos Rojas Gutierrez, Desarrollo Social
Agricultura y Recursos Hidráulicos: Replaced: Arturo Warman Gryj and Francisco Labastida Ochoa
Miguel Lión Rojas, Educación Pública Replaced: Fausto Alzati Araiza
Herminio Blanco Mendoza, Comercio y Fomento Industrial |
Jorge Madrazo Cuellar, Procuraduría General de la República (since December 2, 1996 Replaced: Antonio Lozano Gracia (removed 02/Dec/96)
Gen. Enrique Cervantes Aguirre, Defensa Nacional | José Ramón Lorenzo Franco, Secretaría Naval
Arsenio Farell Cubillas, Contraloría General de la Federación y Desarrollo Administrativo: Replaced: Norma Samaniego
Juan Ramón de la Fuente Ramírez, Salud | Javier Bonilla García, Trabajo y Previsión Social Replaced: Santiago Oñate Laborde
Arturo Warman Gryj, Reforma Agraria Replaced: Miguel Limón Rojas | Silvia Hernández, Turismo | Julia Carabias, Pesca | Oscar Espinosa Villarreal, Departamento del Distrito Federal
José Antonio González Fernández, Procuraduría General de Justicia del Distrito Federal Replaced: Rubén Valdez Abascal
Roberto Miranda Sánchez, Estado Mayor Presidencial |
Liebano Saenz, Secretaría de la Presidencia | Luis Tellez Kuenzler, Oficina de la Presidencia |
Miguel Mancera Aguayo, Banco de México