Decentralization as a step toward more participation
Key alterations occurred in Mexico under the Vicente Fox administrations. One of the most crucial was the decentralization of the country.
The Mexican federative states, organized through the CONAGO (a conference where local governors gather for discussion, initially created by the PRI party to generate a power to rival the president), became increasingly relevant in the public sphere.
The decentralization of public spending and the political plurality of the sub-national governments boosted Mexican federalism. However, the new checks and balances soon constrained the action margin of the president. The impasse worsened in the 2003 intermediate election, when the PAN party lost its majority in the Mexican Congress and became a divided government. Congress vetoed many legal initiatives proposed by President Fox, effectively paralyzing the political landscape until the end of the presidential term.
