Political communication and electoral propaganda in Mexico. The reforms of 2007 and 2014

Abstract

This article analyzes the changes to the political-electoral legal framework related to mass media communication. Starting with a reflection on the role of these media in electoral behavior and as a touchstone between politicians and citizens--which explains the heated polemics sparked by reforms on this subject--, it describes, analyzes, and compares the 2007 and 2014 constitutional reforms to regulate public funding to parties, pre-campaigns for postulating candidates in the political parties’ inner affairs, electoral campaigns, and political advertising on radio and television. Although some democratic advance is acknowledged, the main conclusions point out the negative phenomenon of “spotization” (minimal messages) in electoral campaigns and the absence of secondary laws that could impede the use of public resources to promote the image of politicians in service.