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Al-Ahram Weekly 20 - 26 July 2000 Issue No. 491 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 20 - 26 July 2000 Issue No. 491
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Similar, yet different
By Salama Ahmed Salama
There are many similarities between Egypt and Mexico. Not only are both peoples rooted in an ancient civilisation, both witnessed similar political developments during the 20th century. In place of the ancient civilisation of the Pharaohs (and the Pyramids it built), there is the relatively modern civilisation of the Incas (and the Pyramids it built). In place of the July Revolution (which put an end to the feudal monarchy and restructured Egyptian society), there is the National Revolutionary Party that led the peasants' revolution against the feudal lords in 1929. Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party remained in power for 71 years, and was finally dislodged following the most recent elections. Similarly, the political powers that have ruled Egypt since 1952 have managed to remain in power until now, despite the transformations the country has undergone (in form, though never in content) and despite all the developments taking place in an increasingly democratic world.
Since it came to power, the Institutional Revolutionary Party has used all possible means to remain there unchallenged, resorting to bribery, terrorism and fraud in order to inflict defeat on the opposition parties. In the 1988 presidential elections, the government hacked into the computers as soon as the initial results began to drift toward the opposition candidate. The economic reform policies the government then adopted evidently did not realise the desired stability, though.
In the wake of the 1994 presidential elections, Mexico underwent an acute economic crisis that saw the currency devalued and capital flowing out. A general state of depression persisted, and Mexico did not exit the dark tunnel until President Zedillo successfully implemented austerity measures to improve economic conditions. The higher court also nullified a number of unconstitutional laws, implementing a large-scale political reform programme affirming transparency and eliminating "secret expenses."
Once a state ruled by one party, Mexico gradually became a multi-party state, with opposition parties realising relative gains in the local elections.
And in the last presidential elections, the candidate who won (thereby putting an end to seven decades of the domination of a single party over political life and the centres of power in Mexico) belonged to the National Action Party, headed by the former chairman of the Coca-Cola Company. Credit for the democratic transformation should go to former President Zedillo, who managed during his term to introduce a number of political reforms that renewed confidence in the electoral process, purifying it of corruption. Mexico has thus embarked upon a new stage, one of political and economic stability.
