Public scrutiny of the candidates’ proposals during the presidential campaign of 2006

Abstract

2006 was the first election for president in Mexico that took place under an administration that was not controlled by the PRI, and these elections were characterized by a hard-fought competition and the strong presence of the candidates in mass media. Three citizens’ organizations, Dialogues for Mexico, Citizens’ Magnifying Glass, and Evaluate and Decide stood out because they tried to limit the tendency of the candidates and parties to exaggerate their electoral promises. The proposed initiatives of these groups included first, reducing the negative consequences of sloppy party platforms (improvisation); and second, offering information that would promote a more reasoned decision on the part of the voter by following through on the electoral promises so that they could answer questions such as, “Are these solid proposals? Did they improve?” The objective of this project is to allow citizens and political actors to evaluate the performance of elected officials in the next elections. Because of this experience and by examining the initiatives to be able to influence general policies, these citizen-based groups were able to present suggestions for civic organizations to monitor more effectively representative institutions in Mexico.