The Impact of Informal Rule Enforcement in the Internal Selection of Presidential Candidates for Mexico’s 2024 Election: An Analysis from the Perspective of Electoral Governance

Abstract

This article analyzes the internal selection process of presidential candidates in Mexico for the 2024 election, using the stages of electoral governance as a methodological framework. Through a qualitative approach, it examines the interaction among political actors, the enforcement of legal and regulatory norms at both the party and national levels, and the rulings issued by the electoral judiciary in response to irregularities and overreach by pre-candidates, including the intervention of the Executive Branch during the selection process.

The main contribution of this study lies in highlighting the impact of informal rule application within institutionalized contexts, which has led to the gradual erosion of Mexican democracy. Furthermore, the article underscores the absence of effective mechanisms for the protection of political and electoral rights at the international level. Since political parties are considered private entities by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, they are not legally accountable under international law. As a result, the rulings of the Superior Chamber of the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary are final and unchallengeable before international bodies, placing citizens in a state of legal defenselessness. This situation reflects a structural tension in the guarantee of political rights within a democratic regime increasingly marked by authoritarian tendencies.