What did PRI did in mexico ...to be the leading party?Explain.
Answers
Every election won by the party called PRI in Mexico because:
(i) Until 2000, every election was won by the dominant party called PRI.
(ii) In its presence, opposition parties did contest elections, but never managed to win.
(iii) The PRI was known to use many dirty tricks to win elections.
(iv) All those who were employed in government offices had to attend its party meetings.
(v) Teachers of government schools used to force parents to vote for the PRI.
(vi) Media largely ignored the activities of opposition political parties except to criticize them.
(vii) Sometimes the polling booths were shifted from one place to another in the last minute, which made it difficult for people to cast their votes.
(viii) The PRI spent the large sum of money in the campaign for its candidates.
Answer:
The PRI maintained absolute power over the country for most of the twentieth century: besides holding the Presidency of the Republic, until 1976 all members of the Senate belonged to the PRI, while all of the State Governors were also from the PRI until 1989. Throughout the seven decades that the PRI governed Mexico, the party used a combination of corporatism, co-option and (at many times, violent) repression to hold power, while usually resorting to electoral fraud when these measures were not enough. In particular, the presidential elections of 1940, 1952 and 1988 were characterized by massive irregularities and fraudulent practices denounced by both domestic and international observers. While during the early decades of PRI rule Mexico benefited from an economic boom which improved the quality of life of most people and guaranteed political and social stability, issues such as inequality, corruption and the lack of democracy and political freedoms cultivated growing resentment against the PRI, culminating in the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre in which the Army killed hundreds of unarmed student demonstrators. In addition, a series of economic crises beginning in the 70s drastically lowered the living standards of the population.