Mexican Empire

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Current revision as of 21:51, 25 August 2009

Imperio Mexicano Mexican Empire
Flag	Coat of arms
Motto Libertad, unión y religión (Spanish) ("Liberty, union and religion")
Anthem Himno Nacional Mexicano (Spanish) Mexican National Anthem
Capital (and largest city)	Mexico City 19°03′N, 99°22′W
Official language(s)	Spanish
Government  - Emperor  - President of the Government	Constitutional monarchy Agustín V Adolfo Lora
Legislature  - Upper house  - Lower house	Congress of the Nation Senate Chamber of Deputies
State religion	Roman Catholic Church
Independence  - Declared  - Recognized	from Spain December 16, 1810 September 27, 1821
Area  - Total  - Water (%)	2,494,049 km² 945,992 sq mi 1.38
Population  - July 2009 estimate  - Density	153,279,827 61.46/km² 162/sq mi
GDP (PPP)  - Total  - Per capita	2009 estimate $5.387 trillion $35,144
GDP (nominal)  - Total  - Per capita	2009 estimate $5.222 trillion $34,071
Gini (2008)	42 (medium)
HDI (2008)	0.925 (high)
Currency	Mexican real (MXN)
Time zone - Summer (DST)	(UTC -8 to -6) (UTC-7 to -5)
Drives on the	right
Internet TLD	.mx
Calling code	+52

The Mexican Empire (Spanish: Imperio Mexicano), commonly known as Mexico, is a federal constitutional monarchy in North America. It is bordered by the Federated States of America on the north; by the Caribbean Sea on the east; by the Pacific Ocean on the west; and by Colombia and the Pacific Ocean on the south. With an area of 2,395,566 km² and a population just short of 150 million, it is the second-largest Spanish-speaking country by area and the largest by population. Mexico is a federation comprising twenty-two states and one federal district, the capital city.

In Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica many cultures matured into advanced civilizations such as the Olmec, the Toltec, the Teotihuacan, the Maya and the Aztec before the first contact with Europeans. In 1521, Spain created the New Spain which would eventually become Mexico as the colony gained independence in 1821. The post-independence period was characterized by of political unrest and fiscal crisis as well as periods of stability and economic upswing. While its political system has somewhat evolved over time, it has retained a monarchist form of government.

Considered an emerging great power, Mexico is firmly established as a First World country with one of the world's largest and strongest economies, a large and well-educated middle class, very high rankings in most socioeconomic indices. Compared to many other Latin American countries, inequality in wealth and land distribution is relatively low. Mexico today is recognized for its economic freedom, its intense social conservatism (Mexico is among the few countries in which abortion is banned without exception), and its complicated relationship with the United States, with which Mexico has extensive economic ties but an often contentious diplomatic relationship.

[edit] Politics

The politics of the Mexican Empire take place in the framework of a federal constitutional monarchy whereby the Emperor (Emperador) is the head of state and the President of the Government (Presidente del Gobierno) is the head of government in a multiparty system. Executive power is exercised by the Government. Legislative power is exercised concurrently by the Government and by the Congress of the Nation (Congreso de la Nación), which is comprised of the Senate (Senado) and the Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados). Judicial power is exercised by the judiciary, which is independent of the executive and the legislature.

[edit] The Emperor

The Emperor of Mexico, whose official title is "By Divine Providence and the Congress of the Nation, Constitutional Emperor of Mexico" (la Divina Providencia y por el Congreso de la Nación, Emperador Constitucional de México) is the head of state, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and the chief representative of the nation at home and abroad. One of his most important functions is personifying the continuity and legitimacy of the Mexican State.

While in theory the Emperor has broad powers, in practice he performs mainly ceremonial roles.

The Emperor has power:

• To sanction and promulgate the laws; to execute them and enforce their execution; and to enact, when the Congress does not do so, the regulations for the best execution of said laws.
• To appoint and remove the President of the Government and, on the advice of the latter, the Secretaries of State (Ministers).
• To call Congress into extraordinary session.
• To suspend sessions of the Congress when agreement to that effect may not have been reached between the colegislative bodies.
• To appoint the times for the holding of sessions of Congress and to prorogue Congress.
• To dissolve the Chamber of Deputies and call general elections thereto.
• To conclude, with the approval of Congress, treaties of peace, alliance, friendship, and armed neutrality with foreign powers.
• To partake in foreign visits and represent the State abroad, and to receive and host visiting heads of state.
• To appoint, with the approval of the Senate, the President and Ministers of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, judges and attorneys-general of circuit and district courts, diplomatic ministers and consuls, officers of the armed forces, the Ombudsman, the Comptroller General, the Auditer General, the Inspector General, and all other public officials whose appointment is not delegated to other authorities.
• To receive and accredit the diplomatic representatives and consular agents of other nations.
• To grant pardons and commute criminal sentences.
• To confer medals, prizes, and gifts and to grant high military titles, in accordance with law.

Any instrument signed by the Emperor (other than laws promulgated by him) requires the countersignature of the President of the Government or a Secretary of State authorized by the President to sign it on his behalf.

The Emperor is very widely beloved by Mexicans as a symbol of national unity who exercises his powers in an impartial, non-partisan manner in the interests of all.

[edit] The Government

[edit] Appointment

Executive power is vested in the Government, which is headed by a President. The President of the Government is appointed by the Emperor, subject to the consent of the Chamber of Deputies. The Emperor nominates a new President within ten days of the resignation of the previous Government or inauguration of a new Chamber of Deputies. The Chamber of Deputies is then called into session to discuss the matter and make a decision. Should the Chamber of Deputies approve the Emperor's choice, the Emperor will immediately appoint that person as President and give him the task of forming a Government. If the Chamber of Deputies rejects the Emperor's choice, he must then nominate another candidate within five days of the rejection of the previous candidate.

Should the Chamber of Deputies reject candidates nominated by the Emperor for three times consecutively, the Emperor shall dissolve the Chamber and call a new election thereto, and appoint a President without participation of the Chamber.

Once the President of the Government is appointed, the Emperor appoints the remaining members of the Government, called Secretaries of State (Secretarios de Estado), on the recommendation of the President.

[edit] Removal from office

The Government is responsible to both the Emperor and to the Chamber of Deputies, and must maintain the confidence of both. The Emperor may remove the President at his discretion, or the President may resign on his own initiative (unless the Emperor rejects the resignation and obliges the President to continue in office); in either case, the entire Government must resign, as well. Individual members of the Government can also resign on their own initiative, with the approval of the President, in which case the President will then designate the person of his choice to replace that member.

The Chamber of Deputies can also remove the Government by issuing a motion of no confidence (which requires an absolute majority) or by defeating a confidence motion by the Government. In either case, the President is required to tender his resignation to the Emperor, who will then appoint a new President within ten days.

In the event that the Government is dismissed or resigns, it continues in office until a new Government is inaugurated.

[edit] Requirements to hold office

Although the Government must maintain the confidence of the Chamber of Deputies, its members cannot simultaneously be members of the Chamber, or hold any other political office concurrently with their membership in the Government. For example, if a member of the Chamber of Deputies or the Senate is appointed President of the Government or Secretary of State, he must first resign his seat as a deputy or senator (whichever the case may be) before he can take office as a member of the Government.

In order to be appointed a member of the Government, a person must meet the same qualifications he would if he were a member of the Chamber of Deputies.

[edit] Duties and functions

The Government is the chief executive body of Mexico and is responsible for ensuring the implementation of laws and decisions adopted by Congress and approved by the Emperor; submitting draft laws to Congress; drawing up the annual federal budget and, with the approval of Congress, implementing it; and formulating and implementing the country's domestic and foreign policy.

The President of the Government leads the Government, directs its administrative affairs, coordinates its activities, and acts as its representative; supervises the conduct and efficiency of the federal administration and takes such corrective measures as are necessary; and periodically submits reports to Congress on work accomplished by the Government as well as on its plans and proposals. He determines the guidelines of national policy. The Secretaries of State carry out the responsibilities entrusted to them by the President autonomously and on their own accord within these guidelines.

[edit] Composition

The current President of the Government is Adolfo Lora Márquez, while the composition of the remainder of the Government is as follows:

• First Vice-President of the Government: Leonardo Urtecho Mora
• Second Vice-President of the Government: Amilcar Gallardo Hernández
• Secretary of State for Economy and Commerce: José Carlos Salazar Rodríguez
• Secretary of State for Finance and Public Credit: Manuel Carpio de Soto
• Secretary of State for Foreign Relations: Ernesto Díaz Arias
• Secretary of State for Justice: Rafael Fuentes de Levín
• Secretary of State for National Defense: Óscar López Vargas

[edit] Congress of the Nation

The bicameral Congress of the Nation serves as the legislature of the Mexican Empire. It is composed of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The purpose of the former is to represent the people at the federal level, while the purpose of the latter is to represent the states at the federal level.

The Chamber of Deputies, the Senate, and the Government each has the right to initiate legislation, but appropriation, revenue, or tariff bills, bills authorizing increase of the public debt, bills of local application, and private bills can only originate in the Chamber of Deputies.

[edit] Chamber of Deputies

The Chamber of Deputies, the lower house, is comprised of 500 members, of whom 400 are elected from single-member constituencies by instant-runoff voting and 100 are elected by proportional representation on a national list basis. Single-member constituencies are apportioned among the states in such a way that each constituency has roughly the same number of inhabitants.

Deputies hold their seats for three years, unless the Chamber is dissolved sooner by the Emperor. There are no term limits for deputies.

In order to be elected to the Chamber of Deputies, a person must meet the following qualifications:

1. He must have been a citizen for at least five years prior to the date of the election.
2. He must be 21 years of age or older.
3. He must be in full enjoyment of his political and civic rights.
4. He must be able to read and write.
5. He must have been resident in the corresponding constituency for at least two years prior to the date of the election.

The Chamber of Deputies is presided over by its President (the equivalent of a "speaker" in other countries), who has the casting vote in the event of a tie. The President is elected by the Chamber from among its members by an absolute majority, but can only be removed by a vote of two-thirds or more of its members. The current President of the Chamber of Deputies is Cornelio Torres Valencia.

[edit] Senate

The Senate, which serves as the upper house, has 116 members. Each of Mexico's 57 states, as well as the federal district (Mexico City), is represented by 2 senators, who are elected by the legislatures of their respective states (or, in the case of Mexico City's senators, by the city council of Mexico City).

Senators serve for terms of six years, which are staggered so that half of its members are appointed one year, and the other half three years later. There are no term limits for senators. The Emperor cannot dissolve the Senate.

The Senate enjoys the exclusive power to approve or reject all appointments made by the Emperor (except members of the Government).

Just like the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate is presided over by a President, who, like his counterpart in the Chamber, is elected by his peers by an absolute majority, enjoys the casting vote in the event of a tie, and can only be removed by a vote of two-thirds or greater. The current President of the Senate is Guillermo Ocón.

In order to be elected to the Senate, a person must meet the following qualifications:

1. He must have been a citizen for at least five years prior to the date of the election.
2. He must be 30 years of age or older.
3. He must be in full enjoyment of his political and civic rights.
4. He must be able to read and write.
5. He must have been resident in the corresponding state (or the federal district) for at least two years prior to the date of the election.

[edit] Powers of Congress

The Congress of the Nation has power:

1. To sustain the national independence of Mexico, provide for the national security and preservation of its external relations, to preserve the union of the states and the peace and public order of the interior of the Empire, to maintain the independence of the states among themselves in all that relates to their internal governance, and to sustain the proportional equality of obligations and rights, which the states are entitled to before the law.
2. To establish colleges for marine, artillery, and engineers, and to erect establishments in which are to be taught natural, political, and moral sciences, noble arts, and the languages, without prejudice to the power which the legislatures have to regulate public education in their respective states.
3. To open and improve roads and canals, without impeding the states in the improvement of theirs; to establish post offices; and to secure for a limited time to authors, inventors, and artists the exclusive right to their respective works.
4. To admit new states into Mexico.
5. To definitively regulate the geographical limits of states when they cannot agree among themselves about the demarcation of their respective districts.
6. To form states out of territories, or to unite territories with existing states.
7. To unite two or more states, by a petition of their legislatures, to form one only, or form a new one from the limits of those that already exist, with the approbation of three-fourths of the members present of both houses, and a ratification of an equal number of the legislatures of the other states.
8. To fix the general expenses, establish the necessary contributions to cover them, regulate their collection, determine their inversion, and take annual accounts thereof from the Government.
9. To contract debts upon the credit of Mexico, and designate guarantees to cover them.
10. To acknowledge the national debt, and designate means for its consolidation and payment.
11. To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the states.
12. To give instructions to celebrate covenants with the Apostolic Chair, approve them for ratification, and regulate the exercise of the patronage in all parts of the nation.
13. To approve treaties of peace, alliance, friendship, armed neutrality, and whatsoever other which the Emperor may conclude with foreign powers.
14. To establish ports and customs houses and designate their locations.
15. To determine and regulate the weight, standard, value, and denomination of money in all the states of Mexico, and adopt a general system of weights and measures.
16. To declare war.
17. To form regulations relative to granting letters of marque and reprisal and captures by sea and land.
18. To designate the armed forces of sea, air, and land, fix the respective quota of military personnel to each state, and give orders and regulations for their organization and service.
19. To form regulations to organize, arm, and discipline the local militias of the states, reserving to each one the appointment of their respective officers, and the faculty of training them conformably to the discipline prescribed by said regulations.
20. To grant or deny the entrance of foreign troops in Mexican territory.
21. To grant or deny naval forces of foreign powers permission to station in Mexican ports.
22. To authorize or refuse to authorize the deployment of Mexican military forces outside the limits of the national territory.
23. To create and suppress public offices of the Empire and designate, augment, or diminish their emoluments and pensions.
24. To grant premiums and recompenses to corporations or persons who have rendered important service to the Empire, and decree public honors to the posthumous memory of great men.
25. To grant amnesty or pardon for crimes.
26. To establish a general law on naturalization.
27. To establish a uniform law on the subject of bankruptcies.
28. To select a place to serve as a residence of the executive, legislate, and judicial branches of the Empire, and to change such residence if necessary.
29. To promulgate laws and decrees for the regulation of the internal administration of territories.

[edit] Formulation of laws

A draft of each law is submitted to the Chamber of Deputies or the Senate. If it decides to take it into consideration, it sends the draft to a commission, where the draft is submitted to a first and second reading, in different sessions. If the bill passes the Chamber of Deputies or the Senate (whichever it originated in), it is then sent to the other house, where it undergoes the same procedure. If the bill passes both houses, it is then sent to the Emperor for promulgation.

If a bill passes one house but is scrapped in its entirety by the other house, it will be returned to the house it originated with the reasons for its rejection so that the originating house can decide, in a single debate, on the matter. If the other house maintains its previous stance, the bill is considered rejected, otherwise it is approved and sent to the Emperor for promulgation.

A bill renovated or added to by the other house will be sent to the originating house for debate; if the changes are not approved by the originating house, it will be returned to the second house. If it consists on its criterion, the bill will be considered rejected, but if both houses approve, it will be sent to the Emperor. If the originating house approves the deletions, alterations, or additions made by the second house, the draft will be returned to that house to be passed on to the Emperor.

Once a bill has been submitted to the Emperor he will either grant his assent and promulgate it into law, or withhold his assent, in which case the bill does not become law.