Mexico's+Freedom+Report

Political Rights Score: 2 Civil Liberties Score: 3 Status: Free Comparable Countries: Peru, India

Mexico offers a decent number of political rights. Its President is elected to a six-year term and the Senate is a mix of direct voting and proportional representation. Campaign finance and political advertising are regulated, although complaints are common, and new rules limit free speech and increase the power of the three main political parties. Corruption still plagues the Mexican government, and the perception is that the billions of dollars entering the country through the drug trade influence public officials.

Mexico has been improving its civil liberties, but work remains to be done. Constitutional guarantees of free speech have been improving, but the security environment for journalists has become more and more hostile. Two corporations own over 90 percent of the broadcast media stations, limiting the freedom of the press. Newspapers also often censor themselves in areas of significant violence. In 2002, the country attempted to increase transparency at the federal level, but some states lag behind. However, the government does not restrict Internet access, and religious practice is protected--although some discrimination of homosexuals exists in the predominantly Catholic areas. There is no restriction of academic freedom and guarantees regarding free assembly and association are mostly respected--however, some protests can face violent resistance. Rule of law remains inconsistent, as the justice system is slow and unpredictable and many crimes go unreported. Legitimacy of government is questioned as some laws by official agencies are not respected, and the unreliable relationship between federal authorities and the state and local police causes problems. The military often operates far from the public sphere, leading to more human rights violations and complaints. However, the government does ban all forms of discrimination, including those based on origin, gender, age, and religion--the main problem is social and economic discrimination, which keeps Mexico's score at a 3.