The Dictatorship of the PRI

The Dictatorship of the PRI

By: Erreh Svaia

"Mexico is the perfect dictatorship"

Mario Vargas Llosa

March 4^th marked the anniversary of the PRI in México, Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa made the infamous quote about the "perfect dictatorship" in reference to the PRI, the political party that ruled México for 70 years and 9 months before its defeat in the year 2000, reborn again in 2012 to the misfortune of the country.

Born as the National Revolutionary Party, the PRI has many curious facts in its history, it was conceived as a left wing political party, one that instructed discipline on the "revolutionary forces" generated after the Mexican Revolution “triumph”, the Mexican Revolution was a legendary social movement that inspired many more around the world, some say the Russian Revolution was inspired by the Mexican one, and in fact, it had a similar sad conclusion, the Revolution was created in order to end the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz, the ruling general who kept power in México for 30 years, the problem with the Mexican Revolution was that it was “kidnapped” from its original instigators, people like Ricardo Flores Magón, an anarchist and an avid reader of Russian literature, and Catarino Erasmo Garza from Tamaulipas, the problem with the PRI, or the PNR, as it was called at the time, was that as most revolutions, as George Orwell recalled, defeated a dictatorship in order to install a new one (Wasn’t that exactly what happed in Russia, in Cuba, in Egypt…and so on).

Plutarco Elías Calles was the founder of the Party, Calles, a follower of Italian fascist Benito Mussolini, and an a reader of Hitler's Mein Kamp, at the time of his expulsion from the country, Calles real intentions were not so democratic, seize power and keep it by using puppet candidates loyal to him, he did so for a time, but General Lazaro Cárdenas, his "puppet" at the time rebelled, severed the ties, and threw him out of the country.

The PRI started as a big coalition between workers, peasants, military and common people, as a matter of fact, the party was a member of the “Internationale”, and international group of socialist political parties, but the PRI only has hinted at socialism in a tangential way, in fact, it was something else, in 1988, there was a division within the party, and a new left wing was born in México, it evaluated into what we know now as the PRD, it was obvious that the PRI fundamentals of “revolutionary nationalism” were not being representative of such a wide sector of the population, lack of true democratic methods were denounced, but considering the origins of the party, the PRI was never about democracy, it was about discipline and power, it toyed with the left, but it was closer to populism and fascism but what made the formula work was the simulation of a democracy and the apparent change in the presidency, in accordance to the "no reelection" mottos of the revolution, it sold the image of democracy, like in the USSR or in China but in truth, it was a powerful political party who seized all power and never let it go for 70 years, and when it lost, it quickly reintegrated and reconfigured in order to fight for power on again.

Nowadays the formula has changed a little, the party disguised its populist vein as  a kore “fashionable and modern” "centrist and moderate", differing from common populists that work around a strong man figure, the PRI doesn't depend on the power and charms of a person, making easier to keep power for longer periods based on a series of candidates who follow obediently the commanding sentences of the party, no matter which candidate reaches power, it's the PRI ultimately who keeps power, using satellite political parties, and allowing radical political elements to coexist within the system, to appear as moderate and as a safe democratic option, an image far removed from the truth, masking the sickening ambition of power, giving the illusion of social prosperity, just like Peronism did in Argentina.

México will not have a true democracy unless the PRI is finally defeated and it stops becoming such a dominance presence on the political landscape of the country, it was achieved once, but the PRI quickly reacted and gained power again, but after 87 plus years, is time for México to stop being caught in this controlled “democratic” farce.