Mexico

After 71 years, a single-party system has met its match.

Our southern neighbor and second-largest trading partner held a dramatic election on July 2.

Vicente (vih-SEN'-tay) Fox, a former Coca Cola executive, scored a historic win by shattering the governing party's 71-year lock on the presidency. He defeated Francisco Labastida of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Institucional; PRI), paving the way for the first change of parties in the Mexican presidency in more than seven decades. Fox is a member of the National Action Party, (PAN). He takes office on December first.

In Mexico, governmental powers are theoretically divided among executive, legislative, and judicial branches, but in practice the president has strong control.

The legislative branch has a Senate of 64 members and a Chamber of Deputies with one representative for every 250,000 people. Senators serve six-year terms and deputies serve three-year terms.

Three-fourths of the deputies are elected directly by popular vote. The remainder are selected in proportion to the votes received by each political party.

The president is elected by the people and can serve only one six-year term. Up until now, the president has been the leader of the PRI. Because the PRI is the dominant political party and had never lost a major election, the president in effect was able to choose his successor.

It is also common for the president to approve legislative and state gubernatorial candidates. The president also has the right to issue reglamentos, or basic rules that have the effect of law.

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Politics in Mexico: Mexicans oust the ruling PRI party, which has controlled the country for 71 years.