2022 Mejican legislative election
The 2022 Mejican legislative elections were held on Sunday, August 14, 2022, to elect the XVI legislature of the Chamber of Deputies of the General Congress . These elections saw the growth of the Mejican conservative bloc Juntos por Méjico (JxM; composed of the NAP, MDP, GEPM), going from 345 seats in total to securing a comfortable majority of 358 out of 680 in the Chamber of Deputies. This landslide victory signaled a significant shift in Mejican politics towards a more conservative and nationalist agenda.
The rise of the JxM coalition can be explained by the consistent economic growth during President Gabriel Quadri's first two years, but also due to the ongoing crisis within the major political party of the opposition, the Popular Progressive Party, as "presidentiable" Gabino Nanclares has accused the party of corruption in the selection of a new party leader after his narrow defeat in the December 2021 PPP leadership election. Nanclares was defeated by his main rival, Camila Lobato by a margin of 0.54% of the vote, leading to internal divisions within the party. These divisions weakened the PPP's campaign and ultimately contributed to their poor performance in the legislative elections.
The JxM coalition capitalized on this opportunity by presenting a united front and campaigning on a platform that appealed to voters' concerns about national security, immigration, and the prospect of war with the Central American Republic. Their promises to crack down on crime and corruption resonated with many Mejicans who were seeking stability and strong leadership. Furthermore, JxM strategically targeted key swing districts and invested heavily in organizing and mobilizing their base.
Nanclares desertion from the PPP to found his own Movement for Democratic Rebirth (Spanish: Movimiento por el Renacer Democrático; MRD) was met with a mix of curiosity and skepticism. While some saw Nanclares as an alternative to the established political parties, others viewed his split from the PPP as a sign of disunity and opportunism. The MPRD campaigned on a platform centered around anti-corruption measures, economic reform, and social equality. It managed to sweep over 19% of the PPP's former supporters by appealing to their disillusionment with the main parties and promising a fresh start. However, the MRD ultimately fell short of gaining significant representation in the Chamber of Deputies, winning only a handful of seats.
Another significant development was the rise of the unorthodox Vasconcelist Castizo-Criollo Strength Party (FC2), an ethnocratic political party led by alt-tech social media personality Onésimo Szmodics, growing from 22 seats to a surprising 40 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, overperforming predicted polling by over 50%. FC2's unexpected success can be attributed to Szmodics' charismatic and polarizing leadership style, as well as the party's focus on the promotion of Castizo and Criollo cultural identity. Their rise was met with worry by Mejico's democratic establishment, as FC2's platform and rhetoric were seen as divisive and exclusionary, potentially undermining the country's social cohesion.