This year (2025) Mexico joined the group of 10 nations where democracy is deteriorating most rapidly, placing the country in a process of “autocratization,” that is, a form of government where the will of a single person becomes law.
“Mexico’s anti-democratic decline has been dramatic over the last three years,” states the most recent Democracy 2025 Report, prepared by the Varieties of Democracy Institute (V-Dem), which annually analyzes the situation in more than 180 countries.
“The landslide victory in 2018 of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) and the National Regeneration Movement (Morena) led to monopolized control of the executive and legislative branches, and of a majority of states, the weakening of judicial restrictions, and the strengthening of the military’s power in civilian affairs,” the document describes.
Published on the eve of the International Day of Democracy, commemorated this September 15, another internationally recognized study on forms of government around the world, The Global State of Democracy 2025, by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), also warns of the collapse of Mexican democracy.
“In Mexico, a package of judicial reforms enacted in 2024 sparked intense debate. The reforms introduced the popular election of all judges, raising concerns about the potential impact on judicial independence,” International IDEA notes.
“While proponents of the reform argued that it was necessary to address judicial corruption and nepotism, critics have warned of serious threats to judicial independence.”
“The Organization of American States (OAS) has warned that these changes pose far-reaching risks to the independence of Mexico’s democratic institutions,” IDEA concludes.
Mexico Dropped 13 Places in Various Categories
According to the international organization’s methodology, Mexico has a score of 0.449 (on a scale of 0 to 1.000) in participation, placing us in 124th place out of 181 countries analyzed, a drop of 13 places compared to last year’s results.
Regarding the rule of law, the score was 0.361, placing us in 119th place, a drop of 12 places compared to the 2024 figures. Regarding citizen representation, the score was 0.553, placing us in 82nd place, a drop of 12 places.
For its part, the V-Dem assessment highlights that “Mexico’s democratic decline in recent years has been characterized by the concentration of power in the executive branch and the weakening of institutional checks and balances.”
Morena’s hegemony, he notes, “has raised concerns about the erosion of the autonomy of legislative and judicial bodies, especially after the 2024 elections, which took place in a climate of polarization and doubts about the impartiality of electoral institutions.”
Additionally, the lack of a strong parliamentary opposition has limited the ability to oversee and balance the executive branch’s actions, putting the country’s accountability and democratic health at risk, warns V-Dem.
In V-Dem’s methodology, Mexico is considered a “democratic gray zone,” that is, a system of government where democracy no longer guarantees freedoms or free elections, and a move toward autocratic rule is looming.
“While some nations are recording democratic progress, countries like El Salvador, Mexico, and Venezuela have suffered systematic losses in their democratic standards.”
“Various studies indicate that this decline is not primarily due to the inability of democracies to meet the needs of the population, but rather to the failure to contain the predatory political ambitions of certain elected leaders,” the document notes.
According to V-Dem, the trio of El Salvador, Mexico, and Venezuela are cases in which a rapid democratic decline has been experienced in the last two decades.
“These countries not only suffer a deterioration in liberal democracy but also in accountability. Unlike other cases, these countries have a weak opposition and there is virtually no possibility of the executive branch being investigated by Congress for illegal or unconstitutional activity.”
“This demonstrates a dangerous concentration of power without effective checks and balances that could be fatal to the survival of the democratic regime.” Juan Carlos Rodríguez
A reporter for three decades looking for uncomfortable stories. I enjoy politics, analyzing government performance, and data. I’m a salsa fan, a Cruz Azul fan, and my family’s paparazzi. I love biographies and documentaries.
Source: oem
