by Lindsay Lehmen

The government structure of a country is one of the first things that should be examined when looking at a country for the first time. When we look at Mexico we see a government organized similar to that of the United States. It is organized into three branches: executive, legislative and judicial. However, it is the power and limitations that these branches receive where the two differ.

In Mexican government the executive branch potentially has the most power. This branch contains the head of government, the head of state and the commander-in-chief of the army in a single office, the Presidency. Sound familiar? This is the same as in the United States; however, in Mexico the President receives six years in office, instead of four. Another big difference between the Mexican and American governments is that in Mexico there is no vice president and Presidents are forbidden from running for reelection. Also, in Mexico, Presidents have the authority to create reglamentos which are comparable to laws, but are more commonly referred to as statutory regulations.

The Mexican legislative branch of the government is also similar to that of the United States. It is divided into two distinct houses known as Camara de Senadores (Senate) and Camara de Diputados (Chamber of Deputies). This branch of the government has its own set of rules and powers. For example, when the votes are counted they are not counted based on the person. It is based off of the political party. The percentage of the popular vote that the party receives is the number of seats it will receive in that particular house.  Senators serve for six year terms and Deputies serve three year terms. In this branch of government officials may run for reelection, but they may not run for consecutive terms. This allows the houses to consistently be filled with new ideas and people.

The judicial branch is the third, and final, branch of the government. This branch consists of a Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nacion (Supreme Court) and smaller state and local courts. This branch of government is also very similar to the corresponding branch in America. The people who are chosen to be part of the Supreme Court receive the responsibility for life. However, it has become tradition to turn in resignations at the end of the Presidential term in which they were elected. Just as in the United States the Justices themselves are nominated by the President and approved by the Senate. The Supreme Court of Mexico is much larger than the American Supreme Court. It consists of twenty-one magistrates and five auxiliary judges. It is divided into four chambers, each with five justices. However, there is a fifth chamber, for the overload of cases from the other chambers. These chambers are divided based upon what type of cases they specifically handle.

It is evident that there are many similarities between the government of the United States and the government structure of Mexico. However, the differences are important and must not be overlooked. For more information on any of the Mexican political offices or the government structure in general please visit http://countrystudies.us/mexico/82.htm or https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mx.html.

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