López Obrador’s hyper-presidentialism
Populism and autocratic legalism defying the Supreme Court and the National Electoral Institute
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12593241 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Rebecka Villanueva Ulfgard (0000-0002-8856-2563, International Studies, Instituto Mora, Mexico City, Mexico, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Pages | 1267-1291 |
| Publication date | 2023-05-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The International Journal of Human Rights (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1364-2987 • E-ISSN: 1744-053X |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13642987.2023.2207464 |
| OpenAlex | W4367677160 |
| Language | ES |
| Citations received | 9 |
This article analyses a growing concern with Mexico’s democracy as regards the idea of separation of powers since the takeover of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on 1 December 2018. To this end, it explores the tension between the executive’s hyper-presidentialism and independent institutions, specifically the Supreme Court and the National Electoral Institute. Drawing on the ideational approach to populism and autocratic legalism sustaining a new form of hyper-presidentialism in Mexico, the article examines five extraordinary cases revealing how the executive’s ideational aspiration, which seeks to ‘transform’ Mexico, and methods amounting to autocratic legalism fundamentally challenge the integrity and independence of said institutions: a) the so-called Zaldívar Law (named after the former Chief Justice, a last-minute amendment aiming to extend his term); b) the failed energy reform; c) the public consultation on the prosecution of former presidents; d) the recall vote; and, e) the electoral reform. The article concludes the recent election of a new Chief Justice could be seen as a revindication of the Supreme Court’s autonomy, whereas the institutional integrity of the National Electoral Institute remains contested in the unsettled electoral reform
Autocracy · Constitutionalism · Democracy · Economic Justice · Legalism (Western philosophy · Political science · Politics · Populism · Presidential system · Separation of powers · Sociology · Supreme court · Law · Political Dynamics in Latin America · Politics and Society in Latin America · Public Administration · Public Policy and Governance
Between Autocratic Legalism and Traditional Values
Anti-Democratic Attitudes, the Winner-Loser Gap, and the Rise of the Left in Mexico
Erosion of Competition Policy in the Age of Populism
Presentación del Dossier ¿La democracia a las urnas? Las elecciones de 2024 en México
Sortition Within Political Parties
Deceitful autocratization
The Politics of Regulatory Oversight
La muerte judicial del “Plan B”
Court‐hoarding
| Unique citing works | 9 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 8 |