Mexico - A Country Robbed Of Social Democracy

Mexico’s political history is, to say the least, peculiar. Today, the country has seven registered political parties, yet not one of them represents a true social democratic alternative. At least four of these parties claim to belong to the centre-left or the broader left, but assertion alone does not make a movement. In practice, none have put forward a clear or consistent social democratic agenda.

The ruling party, the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), defines itself as a nationalist, anti-neoliberal leftist force. But, beyond the slogans, its ideological foundations remain vague and reactive. MORENA has never embraced the principles of social democracy as the core of its political project, and that distinction matters. Social democracy defends pluralism, labour rights, the welfare state, and liberal democracy. In contrast, the nationalist left often favors a centralised, top-down model, one that excludes, rather than includes. MORENA has exploited this model to delegitimise dissent and create high polarisation; labelling critics as conservatives, reactionaries or enemies of the people.

Then there's the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which ruled Mexico for 71 years (1929–2000) under a hegemonic model. Its transformation has been total: it went from a post-revolutionary nationalist left to a neoliberal party during the 1990s. When it regained the presidency in 2012, it presented itself as a centrist, social-liberal force. After losing power again in 2018, some tried, unsuccessfully, to reposition it as a social democratic alternative. Today, the PRI is ideologically hollow, politically diminished, and struggling to define its purpose.

As a not so honourable mention, let's talk about the extinct Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). This party, which formally disappeared in 2024, is often cited as Mexico’s most prominent leftist project; yet, in truth, it was never fully social democratic either. Born from a progressive split from the PRI in the late 1980s, its internal contradictions prevented it from forming a cohesive vision. While it nominally supported Keynesian economics, these ideas rarely made it into structured proposals. The PRD served more as a vehicle for protest than as a solid alternative and, in the end, it collapsed under the weight of its own incoherence. Having become Mexico's second-largest political force at its peak, the PRD never managed to move from opposition to government. Ultimately, it faced a sad end for a party so important in the history of Mexican democracy.

The Labour Party (PT) offers perhaps the clearest case of political opportunism. Cloaked in labour-oriented discourse, it claims to be “the true left”. In reality, it has no consistent agenda, no meaningful independence, and survives through electoral alliances, especially with MORENA. The party’s reliance on patronage politics make it emblematic of Mexico’s dysfunctional party system, which is further compounded by its vertical leadership and lack of original proposals. The PT is more of a parasitic party than a satellite party.

Among all current registered parties, only Movimiento Ciudadano (MC) claims the label of “social democrat” in its foundational documents. However, the label is purely nominal. MC’s discourse is ambiguous, its proposals superficial, and its strategy driven more by media impact than ideology. The only notable figure within this space is Congresswoman Patricia Mercado, who in 2006 ran for president under the now-defunct Social Democratic and Farmers Alternative Party, obtaining only 2.7% of the vote. Today, her voice, still consistent with the principles of social democracy, is a minority within a group of just 27 deputies of MC in a 500-seat chamber. Her presence is admirable, but insufficient.

In light of all this, it is fair to say that social democracy does not exist in Mexico; not in structure, not in policy, and certainly not in leadership. While in Europe this political ideology has yielded established parties committed to balancing market economies with social justice, Mexico remains stuck between the populist and authoritarian left.

Mexico needs a progressive, modern, and ethical political alternative that recovers the principles of social democracy: equal opportunity, social justice, the rule of law, pluralism, and active democracy. An option that does not emerge from the current parties, which are already worn out, pragmatic, or authoritarian, but from organised citizens and new leaderships that respond to the context of the 21st century.

 There is a historic opportunity for there to emerge an alternative rooted in honesty, a vision of state, and a commitment to collective well-being. The current absence of this force is not a definitive sentence, but rather an invitation to imagine and establish what has not yet existed: a truly democratic left in Mexico.

Illustration by Will Allen/Europinion