Mexico’s Political Pluralism is Under Threat: Here’s What to Do About It

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s inauguration solidifies the dominance of the populist Morena party in Mexico’s national politics.

Authors: Sofia Herrera and Christine Zaino*

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s inauguration solidifies the dominance of the populist Morena party in Mexico’s national politics. The rapid ascendency of Morena has been driven by popular frustration with the apparent inability of traditional political parties to combat insecurity, corruption, and economic inequality.

This weakness has opened the door for Morena to cement its political dominance at the expense of Mexico’s political pluralism. If Mexico is to fulfill the promise of its constitutional democracy, the country’s political parties must recommit to healthy multiparty competition driven by constituent needs.

Multiparty democracy is a relatively new development in Mexico. The country was essentially governed as a one-party state for most of the 20th century, with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) presiding over the country for more than seventy years. Over time, the political system gradually democratized and autonomous institutions like the independent electoral institute emerged – allowing greater political competition and eventually breaking the PRI’s hold on the presidency in the 2000 elections. In the years following that election, the party system institutionalized and provided voters a choice between the center-right National Action Party (PAN), leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) and the centrist PRI parties.

Unfortunately, these parties did not develop the internal democratic processes needed to renew their party leadership or create policy platforms that responded to citizens’ concerns. Violence and insecurity escalated, government corruption scandals continued to make headlines, and severe economic inequality persisted. By 2018, homicides surged and the country was shaken by the arrests of several corrupt governors. In the same year, the country’s score in the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index plummeted to an all-time low, reflecting widespread concerns about public sector corruption.

As a result of these failures, in 2018 – just four years after Morena’s founding – party leader Andrés Manuel López Obrador (known as AMLO) won the presidency by appealing to voter concerns around economic inequality and corruption. In 2024, the Morena-led coalition again won the general elections. Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum secured nearly 60 percent of the votes – defeating Senator Xochil Galvez, who represented an alliance of the PAN, PRD, and PRI parties. The Morena-led coalition also gained a supermajority in the House of Representatives, a simple majority in the Senate, and control of 24 of 31 governorships and the federal district.

Morena’s rise coincides with a precipitous drop in political party strength as opposition parties weakened – a slide exemplified by ideologically incoherent platforms, declining cooperation with civil society, and reduced engagement from the electorate culminating in their disastrous performance in 2024. As opposition parties weakened, AMLO’s administration attacked the free press, attempted to debilitate independent institutions, promoted laws to suppress peaceful protests and used the national guard to crush such demonstrations. Meanwhile, rival parties scrambled to articulate concrete policy proposals and failed to garner public trust, which resulted in their catastrophic 2024 election numbers.

Morena now has the opportunity to implement its agenda with little resistance from opposition parties or institutional oversight. The outgoing president has already pushed through controversial judicial reforms that will undermine one of the last independent checks on the executive branch.  Morena-driven initiatives to eliminate the country’s autonomous and oversight institutions – including the National Institute for Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data – were made possible by the lack of viable political opposition.

A healthy democracy capable of delivering results for citizens is not possible if Mexico reverts to a de facto one-party system. Only robust political competition can provide the incentives politicians need to grapple with complex challenges like drug trafficking or transnational crime, or to create the conditions for long-term prosperity and opportunity. The absence of political pluralism deprives the country of a check on state power and will stymie Mexico’s development.

Opposition parties must improve their appeal to the electorate through action rather than mere rhetoric. They must start by strengthening their policy platforms and internal renewal mechanisms. For example, parties should establish transparent procedures for candidate selection, leadership elections, and decision-making to foster trust and introduce new perspectives. Parties must directly engage with the electorate to enhance their relevance – and not just during campaign season – through initiatives like accessible feedback channels, civic education campaigns, and dialogue with civil society organizations.

The international community, and the U.S. in particular, also has a clear interest in promoting a healthy multiparty system in Mexico. Mexico shares a 2,000-mile border and close economic, cultural, and political ties with the United States. America needs a neighbor with a stable, accountable political system capable of tackling the challenges of uncontrolled migration, border security, and transnational crime.

U.S. support for programs that bolster political pluralism can help contribute to strengthening Mexico’s democracy. Training and other forms of assistance to Mexico’s independent media, human rights activists, and civil society organizations can help hold government officials accountable and increase transparency. Additionally, capacity building and international exchanges of best practices for political party members can serve as valuable opportunities for parties across the ideological spectrum to build new skills.

Neither the people of Mexico nor its neighbors can afford to go backwards. Efforts to encourage political pluralism can help prevent a reversion to a rigid one-party system.

*Christine Zaino is a senior program manager for Latin America and the Caribbean at the International Republican Institute.

The thoughts expressed in this piece are their own.

Sofia Herrera
Sofia Herrera
Sofia Herrera is a program manager for Latin America and the Caribbean at the International Republican Institute.