The notion of dictatorship can be confusing when it is combined with the word perfect. Perfect dictatorship can be related to a ruling regime when the government claims it is practicing democratic principles, and besides the apparent simulation of such practices; however, the regime is far from being democratic. One of the periods that was described as perfect dictatorship, was the period of the 71 years continuous rule of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in Mexico. This regime indeed resembled dictatorship, despite a certain degree of economic progress that the country witnessed.
In Mexico under the PRI, dictatorship practices include “limitations on civil liberties, restrictions upon party and candidate registration, electoral fraud, electoral corruption through vote-buying and coercion, and a dramatically uneven playing field, with the ruling party enjoying a near-monopoly of access to media and campaign resources.” (Schedler 6) Setting immunity after ending the presidential terms along with the established obligations to join the single union, where benefits could be received can be added to those factors. Additionally, the widespread of corruption, in the form of bribery, and the oppression witnessed under Ordaz also contributed toward considering the regime being authoritarian.
Such practices where combined with substantial social peace and political stability, which were one of the goals of the party’s foundation. In that regard, the hegemony of the ruling party can be showed all the apparent signs of electoral democracy with the elections being processed systematically and accurately, but nevertheless, the anti-democratic restrictions made these elections merely rituals that supported the ruling party for almost seventy years. Additionally, the monopoly of power was supported with the state treasure and even violence when behind the scene negotiations did not work.
It can be concluded that the period under PRI ruling was a period of dictatorship, in which one party successfully ruled and concentrated all the power in it hands. Nevertheless, despite the dictatorship regime continuous reformations resulted at last for the birth of democracy and the reaffirmation of Mexico’s position in the international democratic community.