Comparison of Mexico's and Israel's Political Systems - Coursework Example

Comparison between Mexicos and Israels political systems 14-Sep-16 The Mexican political system has a presidential system which is also made up of strong and independent legislative, judicial and executive departments1. The Mexican president is elected by a plurality vote for a term of six years. Unlike other political systems in Latin America, the Mexican president can only serve for one term. The Mexican chamber of deputies is made up of 500 members, who are elected for three years terms, 300 elected by simple majority in single member districts and 200 members elected by proportional representation in five 40- member regional districts2. The Mexican senate is made up of 128 members who are elected for a 6 year term. Each state elects three senators and the other 32 are elected by proportional representation on a single nation list. Federal deputies and senators cannot be re-elected for consecutive terns. Legislators can however be elected to other chambers after their terms expire and they can be reelected at the same chamber after sitting out for a term. Political parties form coalitions during elections running same candidates in some districts. If parties form a coalition to elect the president they must also form coalitions for all senators and chamber of deputy members. For a party to get a deputy in the chamber, they must win at least 2% of the national vote. Mexico is a federation made up of 31 states and afederal district. Each Mexican state elects its own governor and legislative members. The municipal authorities are elected at the local level. The election dates are made by the state legislation. The political system in Mexico is from the constitution of 1917 that was established from the Mexican revolution. The constitution has undergone multiple amendments such as the 2005 amendment which banned the use of capital punishment. The Mexican government has three branches namely; executive, legislative and the judiciary3. The executive is the most powerful and most important branch. The president is responsible for appointing 18 cabinet secretaries who are allocated different ministries. The legislature is responsible of making the laws which must be approved by the president for them to become law. However the president in Mexico has the power to issue laws that are independent of the legislature. Structure of the Mexican government4 The ban on reelection of the president and member of the legislature means that after every election there is an entirely new chamber of deputies. This diminishes the continuity of the expertise and experience of the government at all levels. The judiciary is made up of federal courts and state courts. The federal courts have the jurisdiction over most constitutional issues, civil cases such as labor issues, banking, commerce and contracts as well as major felonies such as kidnapping and bank robbery5. Federal courts however do not have the jurisdiction over murder cases. Murder cases, divorce and other minor felonies are handled by the state courts. The Mexican Supreme Court consists of 26 judges who are selected by the president and confirmed by the senate. According to the constitution, they are supposed to serve for life but they actually submit their resignations to the new president after every six years. Under the Supreme Court, there are four chambers of judges who deal with criminal, civil, labor and administrative issues. There are 16 federal courts and 68 district courts. The most dominant political parties in Mexico are the Partido Revolucionario Institutional or the Institutional Revolutionary Party), the Partido Accion Nacional or the National Action Party and the Partido de la Revolucion Democratica or the Party of the Democratic Revolution. The Partido Revolucionario Institutional ruled Mexico for seventy-one consecutive years but lost to PAN in 2000. After decades in power corruption and fraudulent practices had become common6. The basic unit of the Mexican government is the municipality which forms the local government. The municipal governments are responsible for most public services such as street lighting, cleaning, water and sewerage, traffic, safety and maintenance of public resources among others. The municipalities also assist the state and federal governments with provision of education, medical services and environmental maintenance. The municipal governments are headed by a mayor or municipal president who is elected for three years terms. In addition, the municipal governments are authorizes to collect taxes and users fees7. On the other hand, Israel has an electoral political system which is based on nationwide proportional representation. Unlike most western democracies, Israel’s electoral system is strictly followed Israel inherited the proportional representation system from the Jewish community8. The electoral system of proportional representation is also similar to that of the election of Mexican chamber of deputies’ members. Israel’s system depends the zeal of the political parties as well as ideologies and candidates personalities. As a result there are a large number of political parties in order to achieve the maximum representation9. There are four principles that govern the electoral system. The first principle is the Knesset principle which states that elections should be general, direct, equal, secret and proportional10. The Knesset principle however gives the legislature has authority to deny anyone they see unfit the right to vote to although they have never utilized this power. The second principle is the principle of generality which ensures that all Israeli citizens over the age of 18 are given the opportunity to vote11. It also ensures that all citizens over the age of 21 can be elected. This principle also prohibits people holding official positions in the government from vying such as the judges, career officers and senior servants. However if they wish to content for political positions they can resign 100 days before the elections. The principle of countrywide elections holds that Israelis elects the candidates directly. It also ensures impartiality amid the votes given such that opportunities to contend are equally distributed. The principle of secrecy maintains fairness in the polls as well as preventing the candidates from placing pressure on the voters since there is no way of knowing that they actually voted. Elections in Israel are held after every 4 years. However that Knesset through an ordinary majority could decide to dissolve itself or call for early elections12. In that case, the prime minister advices for premature elections. The Knesset could decide through a majority to extend its term beyond the required number of years. This took place in the election to the 8th Knesset in 1973 which were delayed as a result of the Yom Kippur War13. In case of a early or delayed election, the elected Knesset is supposed to serve a full term of four years from the date of the elections. The parties’ law which was passed in 1992 states that only a registered political party can provide contenders and take part in the elections. Political parties must be approved by the parties’ registrar. In addition political parties could form a coalition to present candidate to take part in the elections. The constitution also allows political parties to informally add bodies such as companies and personalities. However the law prohibits certain lists from running in the elections. They include; A list which acts indirectly or directly against Israel as a state of Jewish people; one which supports racism or one which supports armed struggle of a terrorist organization against Israel or another enemy state. The lists are then vetted by the party registrar. If a member of the Knesset resigns or dies, the next candidate on the list will substitute them. The president appoints the prime minister who is expected to serve for a 4 year term. The prime ministers term could however be shortened by a vote of no confidence from the Knesset. In case of a vote of no confidence, a new government is formed by a replacement candidate. If the replacement candidate is not capable of forming a new government, the Knesset is dissolved and elections are held afresh14. Once a replacement has been done, the prime minister is given 45 days to fill the cabinet positions. Since a party only need to obtain 2% of the vote to gain a seat in the Knesset, no single party has ever won a parliamentary majority. The prime minister therefore is obligated to form a coalition in order to gather together the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority, and must offer cabinet positions and other incentives to members of smaller coalition partners who provide the necessary votes for a majority15. Bibliography Roderic Camp. Politics in Mexico: Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2007. Morris, Stephen. Corruption & politics in Latin America: national and regional dynamics. Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2010. Morris, Stephen. Political Corruption in Mexico: The Impact of Democratization. Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2009. Cornelius, Wayne, and Shirk David. Reforming the Administration of Justice in Mexico. Michigan: University of Michigan, 2009. Gregory Mahler. Politics and Government in Israel: The Maturation of a Modern State. Washington DC: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2010. Don Peretz. The Government and Politics of Israel. Colorado: West viewPress, 1997. Anita Shapira. Israel: A History: New Hampshire: Brandeis University Press, 2012. Read More