[Party Renewal in Latin America: The Cases of Mexico, Peru and Venezuela]

by

Acknowledgement

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

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Abstract

This thesis is based on the topic of “Sub-National Competition and Party Renewal: The Cases of Mexico, Peru and Venezuela”. The first chapter provides an introduction to the topic with an outline for the other chapters to follow. The second chapter covers the literature review section of the thesis. This chapter has covered topics including the historical development of political parties, their structures, and their function. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 have covered case studies related to Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. In these chapters, structure of political parties in these countries is discussed with an emphasis on the subnational politics and movements within the region. The sixth chapter concludes the thesis, providing theoretical framework and implications for future research.

Table of Contents

ABSTRACT4

1INTRODUCTION: THE IMPORTANCE OF PARTIES AND THE PUZZLE OF PARTY REVIVAL6

1.1 Background8

1.2 Hypothesis & Methods12

1.3 Thesis Layout16

2. LITERATURE REVIEW18

2.1. Dimension Origin in the Political Party20

2.2. Typology of political parties24

2.3. The formation of modern political parties30

2.4. Signs of the political parties and their functions31

3 PRI IN MEXICO34

3.1. History and origin of PRI in Mexico34

3.2. Revolutionary Nationalism36

3.3. Popular Political Movement38

3.4. Electoral Process42

3.5. Federal Presence42

4. APRA IN PERU44

4.1. History of APRA44

4.2. APRA as Continental Movement46

4.3. Problems for APRA48

5. AD AND COPEI IN VENEZUELA52

5.1. The Venezuelan political system of the late nineteenth century52

5.2. AD and COPEI in Venezuela54

5.3. Evolution of Politics in Venezuela in 21st Century59

6. CONCLUSION63

6.1. Overview of Theoretical Framework63

6.2. Politics and multiplicity of actors65

6.3. Future Research68

6.4. Conclusion70

BIBLIOGRAPHY73

Sub-national competition and party renewal:

The cases of Mexico, Peru and Venezuela

Introduction: The importance of parties and the puzzle of Party Revival

Since the beginning of the democratizing Third Wave in South and Central America, the promise of political parties with clearly defined programmatic agendas, regular inter-party competition and consolidated democracy has not come to pass. In countries with historically institutionalized parties like Argentina and Venezuela, we have instead witnessed decomposition or extended collapse of party systems.

In Mexico, the important party realignment that started with the electoral success of the “Partido de Accion National” (PAN) might even be reversed, under pressure from drug violence and the surging of the (PRI) at the polls.

Since the early 1990's and notwithstanding significant economic gains, de-institutionalization of party systems has been a gradual but ongoing, with varying rates of decomposition in countries with traditionally 'inchoate' (Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru) party systems, as well as those with longstanding levels of institutionalization (Colombia, Venezuela) (Mainwaing and Scully 1995, Sanchez 2008).

This weakening of party-systems does not bode well for representative democracy in the ...