Research Paper on:
The Mexican Government Analysis of Alan Riding

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
the autonomy of the countrys thirty-one states, as well as an "impressive body of individual and social rights" (Riding 68). Every six years, elections are held for the presidency, the  Senate and state governorships; every three years for the Chamber of Deputies and municipal positions. However, Mexicans realize that this is an "elaborate ritual" and the reality is that the  current President chooses his successor. The author maintains that the overriding element in Mexicos political stability is the myth that the "President is all-powerful" (Riding 66). The article shows how  the Presidents power is deployed judiciously in a delicate "balancing" act that keeps all stakeholder satisfied. Authors Conclusion: Through a process of constant bargaining between key lobbies, the government  ensures that the media, labor, business, the Church and the Army remain supports of the status quo. While the disenchantment of any one group can be handled, this requires a  high degree of "political skills and sensitivity that are less in evidence than in the past" (Riding 93). The author concludes that the systems credibility can be preserved only in  the most schizophrenic fashion with "those on the outside" believing in its authoritarianism, while those on the "inside" are convinced that the system is flexible (Riding 93). Comparison: The  principal emphasis in this article is on the centralization of the Mexican government, as evidenced by the authoritarian nature of the government. Brief reference is made to the process of  elections, with the clear implication that true popular participation in the government is illusionary, and that the government is profoundly authoritarian in nature. However, the "absolute power" wielded by  the President works "so long as he does not wield the President is pictured as being more analogous to a "power referee" -- "His effectiveness as a negotiator, persuader, and