Jalisco’s recent political shift has been so profound that the two parties that ruled the roost in the state for nearly 90 years have been reduced to virtual bit part players in the 63rd State Legislature (LXIII), sworn in October 25.
The once powerful Partido Revolucionario Institusional (PRI) and Partido Accion Nacional (PAN) will occupy a meager five seats each in the new legislature – just over one-quarter of the 38-seat chamber.
Taking their place in the new hierarchy are the ruling Movimiento Ciudadano (MC) with 16 seats, and left-of-center Morena with eight seats – representing almost two-thirds of the assembly.
Three smaller parties share the remaining four seats: Hagamos (2), Futuro (1) and Partido Verde (1).
Although lacking the clout they enjoyed in previous legislatures, the PRI and PAN lawmakers will wield some influence, since the MC does not have an overall majority, and Morena legislators are expected to oppose many of the initiatives proposed by their rivals. Before, during and after the June 6 election, the MC and Morena (the party of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador) have been engaged in a bitter war of words over policies, funding, dirty tricks and other issues, at both the state and federal level.
One novel – and encouraging to many people – outcome of the June 6 elections for the state legislature is that 24 of the 38 representatives are women. This is the highest female-to-male proportion of any elected state assembly in the history of the country.