Why Mexico's Main Political Parties Are Moving to Quash the Competition

The nature of political power in Mexico is changing, and the country's three major parties are struggling to keep up. A representative of the opposition National Action Party (PAN) announced on Feb. 15 that the party had presented a proposal to Congress to add a runoff vote to Mexico's presidential elections. If the bill passes, it would require first- and second-place candidates to face off against each other in the event that neither garners a certain level of popular support (in all likelihood, half of the vote). And in a country where no president has won a clear majority in nearly three decades, such a setup would be guaranteed to make Mexican politics less competitive -- and more contentious....