From Centralization to Decentralization. The New Institutional Design of the Congress of the Union

Contrary to what might be expected, the shift in Mexico from a highly centralized political system to a decentralized one has barely given rise to a small reduction in voting unity among the parliamentary groups. In this context, this article questions the transformations experienced in the regulatory framework of the Congress of the Union to contain indiscipline and lack of cohesion among their number. The modification of that body's internal procedures has pointed toward increasing the powers of the group coordinators as members of the Political Coordination Board. That strategy has been in response to a dual purpose: 1) reinforcing control over the members of their group; 2) facilitating legislators' negotiations in benefit of the sub-national stakeholders on whom their political future now depends.