Mexico Introduces 40-Hour Work Week and Deep Electoral System Reform

Mexico's political scene is undergoing a period of fundamental legislative changes under the leadership of President Claudia Sheinbaum. The government's most significant achievement in recent days is the final parliamentary vote on a reform shortening the statutory work week from 48 to 40 hours. This process was met with enthusiasm from trade unions and ruling party deputies, although its implementation will be phased over time to allow the economy to adapt to the new realities by 2030. This change places Mexico among the countries striving to improve work-life balance, a significant shift in the Latin American region, traditionally characterized by long working hours. Simultaneously, President Sheinbaum has initiated a battle for a new electoral law, which is generating far greater controversy than the labor market reform. The bill proposes drastic cuts to public funding for political parties and a reduction in the size of the Senate, aiming to limit the influence of traditional party elites. Importantly, this proposal has led to the first serious cracks in the ruling bloc. Former partners from the Green Party (PVEM) and the Labor Party (PT) express deep concern, fearing the new regulations could threaten their political survival. This dispute casts doubt on the stability of the parliamentary majority necessary to push through constitutional changes. The Mexican electoral system underwent a thorough transformation in the 1990s, when independent institutions were established to end the seven-decade-long hegemony of a single party (PRI) and guarantee voting integrity. At the same time, other significant economic shifts are occurring in the region. Brazil's Chamber of Deputies has taken a milestone step towards international integration by approving the free trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc. This decision, combined with successes in the Brazilian aviation industry—including the announcement of new business jet variants by the Embraer conglomerate and the lifting of U.S. tariffs on aircraft imports—signals Brazil's economic offensive. These events, though geographically distant, together with the Mexican reforms are shaping a new political-economic landscape in Latin America, based on internal modernization and openness to global markets. „Nuestra reforma electoral busca devolver el poder al pueblo y terminar con los privilegios de la burocracia partidista.” (Our electoral reform seeks to return power to the people and end the privileges of the party bureaucracy.) — Claudia Sheinbaum