National political association
Encyclopedia
In the context of Mexican
politics, a national political association is a citizens' association intended to assist in the development of democratic
life and the country's political culture
, as well as being intended to create a better informed public opinion
. They are similar to political parties in the sense that they receive public funding through the Federal Electoral Institute
(IFE) for the promotion of their activities and ideas. APNs are not allowed to register candidates for election, though they can publicly support those of other political parties through association agreements and may only do so during federal elections. The creation of an APN is regarded as the first step towards the creation of a full-fledged political party.
In order to register an APN before IFE, the association has to provide documentation proving a minimum of 5000 members in at least seven Mexican states
. They must also already have a charter
or some other foundational document in which the association's ideology is delineated. The proposed name of the association cannot have the word "party" (partido) in it.
The first APNs were registered in 1978. The first four registered APNs were the Revolutionary Workers' Party, Unity of the Communist Left, Communitarian Action and Unity and Progress.
In a similar vein, the Electoral Institutes of individual states are entitled to create local political associations which are to be active only in the state of their registration.
Official websites of some APNs: Convergencia socialista Socialist Unity League
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
politics, a national political association is a citizens' association intended to assist in the development of democratic
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
life and the country's political culture
Political culture
Political culture is the traditional orientation of the citizens of a nation toward politics, affecting their perceptions of political legitimacy.Conceptions...
, as well as being intended to create a better informed public opinion
Public opinion
Public opinion is the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs held by the adult population. Public opinion can also be defined as the complex collection of opinions of many different people and the sum of all their views....
. They are similar to political parties in the sense that they receive public funding through the Federal Electoral Institute
Federal Electoral Institute
The Federal Electoral Institute is an autonomous, public organization responsible for organizing federal elections in Mexico, that is, those related to the election of the President of the United Mexican States and to the election of the members of the Lower and Upper Chambers that constitute the ...
(IFE) for the promotion of their activities and ideas. APNs are not allowed to register candidates for election, though they can publicly support those of other political parties through association agreements and may only do so during federal elections. The creation of an APN is regarded as the first step towards the creation of a full-fledged political party.
In order to register an APN before IFE, the association has to provide documentation proving a minimum of 5000 members in at least seven Mexican states
States of Mexico
The United Mexican States is a federal republic formed by 32 federal entities .According to the Constitution of 1917, the states of the federation are free and sovereign. Each state has their own congress and constitution, while the Federal District has only limited autonomy with a local Congress...
. They must also already have a charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
or some other foundational document in which the association's ideology is delineated. The proposed name of the association cannot have the word "party" (partido) in it.
The first APNs were registered in 1978. The first four registered APNs were the Revolutionary Workers' Party, Unity of the Communist Left, Communitarian Action and Unity and Progress.
In a similar vein, the Electoral Institutes of individual states are entitled to create local political associations which are to be active only in the state of their registration.
Notable national associations
- National Assembly of the Socialist LeftNational Assembly of the Socialist LeftThe National Assembly of the Socialist Left is an alliance of far-left groups in Mexico. The first assembly of the socialist left for the creation of a "Socialist Front" was held in Mexico City April 16–17, 2005...
(Asamblea Nacional de la Izquierda Socialista): an alliance of far-left groups in MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. - National Synarchist UnionNational Synarchist UnionThe National Synarchist Union is a Mexican political organization. It was historically a movement of the Roman Catholic extreme right, in some ways akin to clerical fascism and falangism, violently opposed to the leftist and secularist policies of the revolutionary governments that ruled Mexico...
: a former political party. - Popular SocialistPopular Socialist Party (Mexico)The Popular Socialist Party is a communist party in Mexico. It was founded in 1948 as the Popular Party by Vicente Lombardo Toledano....
: another former political party. - Socialist Alliance (Alianza Socialista): created in 2004, it is an alliance of several Trotskyist factions that split off from the old Revolutionary Workers' Party.
- Socialist ConvergenceSocialist Convergence (Mexico)Socialist Convergence is a Trotskyist organisation in Mexico.It was founded in 1996 by the group formerly known as the Revolutionary Workers' Party, or PRT. It is a sympathizing organization of the reunified Fourth International...
(Convergencia Socialista, CS): Founded in 1996 by the group formerly known as the Revolutionary Workers' Party. It is a sympathizing organization of the Fourth InternationalReunified Fourth InternationalThe Fourth International is a Trotskyist international. In 1963, the majorities of the two public factions of the Fourth International, the International Secretariat and the International Committee, reunited, electing a United Secretariat of the Fourth International...
. CS is working to establish itself as a national political party. In early 2004 it became a founding member of a proposed electoral allianceElectoral allianceAn electoral alliance may take the form of a bipartisan electoral agreement, electoral agreement, electoral coalition or electoral bloc. It is an association of political parties or individuals which exists solely to stand in elections...
called the Socialist Alliance (see entry above). - Socialist Unity LeagueSocialist Unity League (Mexico)The Socialist Unity League is a small Trotskyist group in Mexico. It was formed in 1996 and is close to the US group Socialist Action and the German Revolutionary Socialist League. It is a member of the Socialist Alliance....
(Liga de Unidad Socialista, LUS) is a small TrotskyistTrotskyismTrotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. Trotsky considered himself an orthodox Marxist and Bolshevik-Leninist, arguing for the establishment of a vanguard party of the working-class...
group in MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It was formed in 1996 and is close to two groups in the reunified Fourth InternationalReunified Fourth InternationalThe Fourth International is a Trotskyist international. In 1963, the majorities of the two public factions of the Fourth International, the International Secretariat and the International Committee, reunited, electing a United Secretariat of the Fourth International...
: the US group Socialist ActionSocialist Action (US)Socialist Action is a Trotskyist political party in the United States. It publishes the monthly Socialist Action newspaper, has a youth affiliate called Youth for Socialist Action , and is associated with the Fourth International.-Origins:...
and the German Revolutionary Socialist LeagueRevolutionary Socialist League (Germany)The Revolutionary Socialist League is a small Trotskyist group in Germany. It was formed in 1994 as a split from the Association for Solidarity Perspectives . The RSB generally considers itself to be more radical than the VsP, and unlike the VsP it is very critical of the Left Party...
. It is also a member of the Socialist Alliance.
External links
General information Up to date list of national political associations in MexicoOfficial websites of some APNs: Convergencia socialista Socialist Unity League