Democratization, media and elections: Electoral reform in Mexico

The two last elections in Mexico – one for president, the other legislative – have taken place in an atmosphere of growing competitiveness and high political uncertainty, which has strained relations among the players involved. The electoral governance of increasingly inclusive regulations which facilitated the development of a moderate multiparty democracy seems not to guarantee the legitimacy and quality of the electoral process. The article analyzes the electoral reforms of 2008 with an emphasis on the media and the effect of reforms on the behavior of the different players involved: the parties, the dual structure of the media, the arbiter, and the audiences–voters.