This is the first draft of this note, which will focus on the Mexican upper house, known as the Senate of the Republic.
Politics
- Elections_in_Mexico from wikipedia, or Electoral system in Mexico (2024) from Wikipedia’s 2024 Mexican Election page
- The_Mexican_Electoral_System from the Institute Nacional Electoral (INE)
The President
There is now a term limit of one six year term. They have no Vice President. The president can be recalled by referendum.
Mexico does not have a vice president. [1]
- Abolition: The position of vice president was officially abolished under the Constitution of Mexico in 1917. [1]
- Historical context: The role existed intermittently under earlier constitutions starting in 1824, but it was permanently removed to prevent potential rivalries and coups against the sitting president. [1, 2]
- Succession: If the president is unable to serve or vacates the office, the Mexican Congress designates a temporary or substitute president according to constitutional guidelines rather than relying on a vice president
The Senate
GG says, that,
Mexico’s upper house, the Senate of the Republic (Senado de la República), has 128 members elected to serve six-year terms alongside the president. [1, 2]
Senators are elected using a mixed electoral system combining direct plurality, first minority, and proportional representation: [1, 2, 3]
- Direct/Relative Majority (64 seats): Two senators are elected from each of the 31 states and Mexico City (32 federal entities total) using a first-past-the-post or relative majority system. The winning party ticket in each state takes both seats. [1, 2]
- First Minority (32 seats): One additional seat is allocated to the first minority party (the runner-up party or coalition) in each of the 31 states and Mexico City. [1]
- Proportional Representation (32 seats): The remaining 32 seats are distributed nationally via a single nationwide multi-member district based on the total proportional votes received by political parties using closed lists. [1]
On asking about how the senate vote was counted GG said,
No, the proportional representation (PR) seats in the Mexican Senate are not allocated using the d’Hondt method. [1, 2]
Instead, Mexico uses a system of pure proportionality based on the Natural Quotient (cociente natural) and Largest Remainder (resto mayor) methods. [1, 2]
Allocation Process
- The 32 PR Seats: The 32 national proportional representation senators are elected via a single nationwide multi-member district. [1]
- Natural Quotient (Cociente Natural): The total valid national vote cast for eligible parties is divided by the 32 available PR seats to establish the number of votes required to secure one seat. [1, 2, 3]
- Largest Remainder (Resto Mayor): Any remaining seats left unassigned after the initial natural quotient calculations are distributed to parties with the highest leftover vote remainders. [1, 2]
- Threshold: Parties must win at least 3% of the national valid vote to participate in this proportional distribution. [1, 2]
House of Representatives/Chamber of Deputies
It consists of 500 member,, which is just under the ∛ rule, if one doesn’t count their overseas citizens.
The featured image is, By Dirk Ingo Franke – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, via wikipedia