1997 Mexican legislative election

Background

The political landscape saw great change in the years preceding the 1997 midterm elections. There was a noticeable fragility to the beginning of Ernesto Zedillo's presidential term as the nation was caught up in a sudden economic crisis (dubbed the "December mistake"), which occurred on 19 December 1994, as a result of an unexpected capital flight and a rise in financial speculation. This led to a near-70% devaluation of the national currency. Due to the seriousness of the problems, the prospect of a president resigning was openly discussed for the first time in a nation with a long-standing presidential tradition. A number of erratic decisions in the first year of Zedillo's administration heightened the sense of vulnerability, including the police-military operation against the Zapatistas on 9 February 1995, the backing of the contested governors of Chiapas and Tabasco and the resignation of three secretaries of state in less than six months.

However, Zedillo also reinforced the transition to full democracy:

Results

Senate

Chamber of Deputies

References

References

1. [https://web.archive.org/web/20030331194931/http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9707/06/mexico.cierre/index.eng.html Mexico awaits verdict in historic election] CNN, 6 July 1997
2. Lawson, Chappell. (1997). "Mexico’s New Politics: The Elections of 1997". Journal of Democracy.
3. [[Dieter Nohlen]] (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', pp465-467 {{ISBN. 978-0-19-928357-6
4. (2022-09-13). "Revolution and Dictatorship: The Violent Origins of Durable Authoritarianism". Princeton University Press.