Mexico

H

Communications

Mexico has about 311 daily newspapers, with a combined circulation of 9 million. Mexico City has about 15 dailies, of which Esto, with a circulation of 450,000, is the largest. There were approximately 189 telephones per 1,000 people in Mexico in 2005. Radio stations number about 1,040, and some 31 million radios and 28 million televisions are in use.

V

Government

Mexico is a federal republic governed under a constitution promulgated in 1917.

A

Executive and Legislature

National executive power is vested in a president, who must be Mexican-born and the child of a native Mexican. The president is popularly elected for a six-year term and cannot be re-elected. The president appoints the Cabinet, which is confirmed by the congress.

Legislative power in Mexico is vested in a bicameral congress. The upper house is a senate, with 128 members popularly elected for six years. Four senators are elected from each state and four from the federal district. The lower house is a chamber of deputies, made up of 500 members elected to 3-year terms. There are 300 who are elected from single-member districts based on population, and the remainder are elected according to a system of proportional representation. Senators and deputies may not serve two consecutive terms. All citizens over 18 years of age are entitled to vote.

B

Judiciary

The highest tribunal in Mexico is the supreme court of justice, made up of 21 full-time members appointed by the country’s president with the consent of the senate. Other important judicial bodies in Mexico include circuit courts and district courts.

C

Local Government

The chief executive of each state is a governor, popularly elected to a six-year term. The governor of the federal district was appointed by the president of Mexico until 1996 when electoral reforms introduced direct elections for the post. Legislative power in the states is vested in chambers of deputies, whose members are elected to three-year terms.