Mexico democratic backsliding

In mid‑July 2026, analysis highlighted the deepening concentration of power in Mexico under the “Fourth Transformation” movement, where President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and successor Claudia Sheinbaum control the presidency, a legislative majority, many state governments and influential institutions. Critics warned that such dominance threatens checks and balances and could be used to suppress opposition, journalists and civil society.

Two weeks later, commentary shifted to specific abuses of political power in Mexico’s electoral system. The president of the Veracruz Electoral Tribunal warned that pre‑campaign activities violating electoral law—early campaigning, euphemistic naming of candidate events, and use of public resources before the official campaign period—risked penalising candidates and undermining fair competition. The piece underscored that fines are often treated as a routine cost, allowing entrenched political actors to continue dominating public space.

Together, the snapshots trace a trajectory from broad concerns about institutional capture to concrete instances of electoral law circumvention, illustrating an ongoing pattern of democratic erosion linked to the abuse of political power in Mexico.