Democracy backsliding and populism. The crisis of the Mexican republic Erosión democrática y populismo. La crisis de la República mexicana

Resumen

Democratic erosion is a legal-social phenomenon that destabilizes Constitutional Republics due to the rise of so-called "populist" political leaders, who are legally (electoral law protects them) and legitimately (they have majority approval) elected; their objective is to destroy the institutional order contained in the Constitution to maintain their hold on power. Mexico is no exception; conflicts between the executive and the judiciary and constant attacks on independent organisms are currently putting federal democracy under strain. For this reason, this article is a documentary investigation that deals with the general concepts that give rise to the way political power is exercised. Using the historical method, it examines the evolution of forms of government; the Mexican nation has gone through three key and unstable events: empire, centralism and federalism, the latter of which served to found both democracy and the contemporary presidential system. Subsequently, it identifies the democratic fracture and rise of populism to describe its modus operandi. Finally, it is proposed to restructure the checks on power contained in the constitution relating to transparency, citizen participation and the powers of the branches of government.