Dynasties will maintain grip on Mexican politics

Outlook

Political dynasties do not necessarily present governance problems, but with inequality and corruption at the forefront of public consciousness, the abundance of family ties in Mexican politics risks perpetuating suspicions that it is a club for the privileged.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO)’s election victory has raised expectations of a political transformation, but his promises to break the “mafia of power,” may prove unfounded.

Although the statutes of his National Regeneration Movement (Morena) explicitly prohibit nepotism, three of his sons and two of his brothers are involved in the party. AMLO will also need to appoint experienced people to office. If his government ends up looking like the same old names with new rosettes, his anti-establishment image could quickly crumble.

Impacts

• Dynasties will hinder the efforts of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the National Action Party (PAN) to reinvent themselves.
• A major family corruption scandal could quickly turn public apathy regarding dynasties to anger.
• A public backlash against dynasties could transform certain family names from a political blessing into a curse.