Mexican legislative election, 2009
Encyclopedia
Legislative elections were held in Mexico
on 5 July 2009. Voters elected 500 new deputies (300 by their respective constituencies, 200 by proportional representation
) to sit in the Chamber of Deputies for the 61st Congress
.
with 36%, the National Action Party
with 31%, and the Party of the Democratic Revolution
with 16%.
movement, dubbed "voto en blanco", or "blank vote", had arisen in response to the perceived corruption of the three major parties running in this election. Starting as a small group on blogs and YouTube, the movement had expanded its ranks, with politicians and intellectuals, such as Jose Antonio Crespo, supporting the movement. Pollster Demotecnia showed that 3% of the people would be willing to boycott the elections in response to the "voto en blanco" movement.
Opposition to the movement came from organizations such as the Federal Electoral Institute
, a government institute who seeks to expand voter participation, who claimed that the response to an unsatisfactory democracy is not to have fewer people vote but to have more people involved in the electoral process.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
on 5 July 2009. Voters elected 500 new deputies (300 by their respective constituencies, 200 by proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
) to sit in the Chamber of Deputies for the 61st Congress
LXI Legislature of the Mexican Congress
The LXI Legislature of the Congress of Mexico meets from September 1, 2009, to August 31, 2012. Members of the upper house of the Congress were selected in the elections of July 2006 while members of the lower house of the Congress were selected in the elections of July 2009....
.
Opinion Polling
Opinion polling, by pollster Demotecnia, that was taken less than a month before the election showed the Institutional Revolutionary PartyInstitutional Revolutionary Party
The Institutional Revolutionary Party is a Mexican political party that held power in the country—under a succession of names—for more than 70 years. The PRI is a member of the Socialist International, as is the rival Party of the Democratic Revolution , making Mexico one of the few...
with 36%, the National Action Party
National Action Party (Mexico)
The National Action Party , is one of the three main political parties in Mexico. The party's political platform is generally considered Centre-Right in the Mexican political spectrum. Since 2000, the President of Mexico has been a member of this party; both houses have PAN pluralities, but the...
with 31%, and the Party of the Democratic Revolution
Party of the Democratic Revolution
The Party of the Democratic Revolution is a democratic socialist party in Mexico and one of 2 Mexican affiliates of the Socialist International...
with 16%.
Voto en blanco
A none of the aboveNone of the above
None of the Above or against all is a ballot option in some jurisdictions or organizations, designed to allow the voter to indicate disapproval of all of the candidates in a voting system...
movement, dubbed "voto en blanco", or "blank vote", had arisen in response to the perceived corruption of the three major parties running in this election. Starting as a small group on blogs and YouTube, the movement had expanded its ranks, with politicians and intellectuals, such as Jose Antonio Crespo, supporting the movement. Pollster Demotecnia showed that 3% of the people would be willing to boycott the elections in response to the "voto en blanco" movement.
Opposition to the movement came from organizations such as the Federal Electoral Institute
Federal Electoral Institute
The Federal Electoral Institute is an autonomous, public organization responsible for organizing federal elections in Mexico, that is, those related to the election of the President of the United Mexican States and to the election of the members of the Lower and Upper Chambers that constitute the ...
, a government institute who seeks to expand voter participation, who claimed that the response to an unsatisfactory democracy is not to have fewer people vote but to have more people involved in the electoral process.