Mexico is in the midst of a serious debate about the future of its democracy. The United States should pay close attention — perhaps even more so because it continues to debate the functioning of U.S. democracy.
Many on both sides of the border are sounding alarms, concerned that new reforms to Mexico’s National Electoral Institute will weaken Mexico’s ability to ensure the quality and integrity of elections and will have a big impact on the quality of Mexico’s democracy.
The final decisions about the shape of Mexico’s democratic institutions should be made by Mexicans, in line with their constitution, but the United States has a legitimate right to speak up about its concerns. This is also true for Mexico, as it watches U.S. policy debates.
Mexico impacts the United States more significantly every day than any other country in the world, through trade, co-production, migration, crime and family ties. Many millions of people on both sides of the border are the living links that intertwine the societies, economies and politics of both countries. Those close links are not going to change in the foreseeable future. We cannot move away from each other.
For several decades, Americans and Mexicans have worked together to grow both economies. Today, Mexico is America’s second largest trading partner (after Canada), with around $1.5 million in trade each minute of the day.
On other parts of the complex bilateral agenda, both governments have struggled to deal cooperatively with serious shared challenges such as illegal migration and cross-border crime, highlighted today by deadly opioid trafficking and the recent killings of U.S. citizens just across the border.
Not surprisingly, how to manage these issues is fueling sharp discussions and calls for action in the United States, and Mexico’s president did not hesitate to respond last week, sharply criticizing some Republican proposals for tougher action against Mexican drug cartels.
Americans and Mexicans should be well informed about policy debates in each country and the potential impact on their relationship. And from each side of the border, concerned citizens and officials should feel free to respectfully express concerns about potential effects. This is part of being good, responsible neighbors.
At present, Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, known as AMLO, and his political party’s majority in Mexico’s legislature have approved legislative changes that will reduce the budget, staff and capacity of the National Electoral Institute (INE, as it is known in Spanish). INE is widely seen as a vital pillar in Mexico’s democratic system, which helped the country to move toward fuller democracy since the 1990s with its oversight of national elections.
The proposed reforms have brought tens of thousands of Mexicans into the streets to protest against the reforms and to support maintaining INE as it exists at present. The proposed reforms have sparked concerned statements and commentaries in Mexico, the United States and other countries. The reforms themselves are still to be considered for their constitutionality in Mexico’s judicial system.
Responding to mild criticism from the State Department on Feb. 27, AMLO asserted that there is “currently more democracy in Mexico than in the United States.” He continued, “When I say that we have more democracy than them, it’s because the people rule here and the oligarchy rules there.” He offered to debate the issue, claiming he has “evidence to prove there is more liberty and democracy” in Mexico.
AMLO’s surprising response was to these State Department words: “Today, in Mexico, we see a great debate on electoral reforms on the independence of electoral and judicial institutions that illustrates Mexico’s vibrant democracy. We respect Mexico’s sovereignty. We believe that a well-resourced, independent electoral system and respect for judicial independence support healthy democracy.”
The democracies in both countries are not perfect and can be strengthened, but it seems hard to argue with the State Department’s statement about the value of “a well-resourced, independent electoral system and respect for judicial independence.” In addition, studies highlight stark differences between the quality of democracy in Mexico and the United States, while underlining serious challenges to democracy in every region of the world.
The Democracy Report 2023, produced by the V-Dem Institute, ranks countries on a variety of measures of democracy. It ranks the United States as the 23rd strongest among 178 countries on its Liberal Democracy Index and puts Mexico in 93rd place.
Separately, the Economist Intelligence Unit classifies 167 countries in its Democracy Index 2022, using five categories of criteria. It labels the United States a “flawed democracy” and puts it in 30th place. Mexico is labeled as a “hybrid regime,” between a flawed democracy and an authoritarian regime, and is ranked 89th.
Rule of law is essential for democracy to function well. The World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index looks at eight clusters of measures to rank 140 countries. Overall, this index ranks the United States 26th and Mexico, 115th.
There are also other comparative rankings and reports to consider, such as Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index or the Organized Crime Index, where Mexico is given the 4th worst criminality score among 193 countries.
A bottom line from the studies, however, is that democracy is complex and hard to maintain — and there is democratic backsliding evident around the world. There are solid grounds for being concerned about maintaining a strong democratic system in Mexico, reinforced by analyses of those who study governments, as well as recent events in Mexico.
Mexicans themselves certainly should decide their path forward. However, their friends, neighbors and partners have legitimate interests in the path that Mexico takes and in sharing their counsel for a path that leads to stronger democratic institutions that can help the country manage its daunting agenda.
Earl Anthony Wayne (@EAnthonyWayne) is co-chair of the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute and a Distinguished Diplomat in Residence at American University’s School of International Service. He served as U.S. ambassador to Mexico, among other diplomatic assignments.