Officially, Mexico is a federal democratic republic like the
United States. It has three arms of government, the executive,
legislative and judicial. However, for 71 years Mexico was
controlled by one political party, the Institutional
Revolutionary Party (PRI), at the national government and at a
big portion of the state and local levels. In 2000, in what are
considered by many as Mexico’s most freest and fairest
elections, Vicente Fox of the National Action Party (PAN) was
elected president and ended the 71 years of PRI rule and
stronghold over the country. In 2006, after a much contested
presidential race between Felipe Calderon of the PAN, and Lopez
Obrador of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) the ex-
mayor of Mexico City, Felipe Calderon was declared the victor
and assumed the presidency on December 1, 2006. In his campaign
he promised to tackle tax evasion, corruption and poverty.
However, even with changes at the executive level, the PRI still
remained a strong presence in Mexican politics. I