Internet Campaigning in Mexico: Making World Wide Waves

The Presidential elections in Mexico this year are unlike any other seen by the country in its history. The elections will be held on July 2, 2006 and because re-election is not allowed in Mexico the incumbent President Vicente Fox Quesada is unable to run again.

Fox is the envoy of the Partido de Accion Nacionale (PAN) and in 2000 Fox ended a 71 year domination of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) party. Until that year there was no doubt which candidate would win the PRI controlled faux-elections, but now Mexican voters hold the future in their own hands. And Mexican voters are turning to the Web for information, to engage in debate, to make their opinions heard and to prepare for what looks to be Mexico’s closest election ever.

For the first time, the Internet is playing an important role in this year’s elections by encouraging constituents to vote, providing them with election coverage, and helping them to get to know their candidates a little better.

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