Mexico's young democracy has been consolidated this July 1st, when it faced the challenge of holding the largest elections in the history of the country.
The high voter turnout and the reaction of the three candidates whose results weren't favorable after the election are just a confirmation of the above.
The long queues at polling stations are a testament of the interest of citizens in deciding the future they want for Mexico. According to early data, voter turnout exceeded 60% of all registered voters. Statements that there is apathy amongst Mexicans when dealing with politics weren't true this time.
For the first time in a Mexican election, the presidential candidates who weren't favored by the results of the election acknowledged voting trends worked against them – even before the official statement of electoral authorities.
For the first time, they didn't take to the streets to appeal and question the results and even congratulated the winner, sending their best wishes for his upcoming administration.
It's desirable to have politic civility during future elections. Given that candidates can either win or lose, acknowledging defeat contributes to strengthening democracy .
Despite several regions in the country are suffering high violence rates – and that over a hundred politicians lost their lives throughout the electoral period – overall we can say election day was peaceful, with minor incidents which didn't hinder the votes or final results. Nevertheless, these incidents, albeit minor, should be investigated and punished.
In some states, what we saw in the presidential election process wasn't applicable to local elections. With minimum differences in results, candidates have proclaimed their victory and insulted their adversaries. It seems there was no room for restraint and moderation.
After this election, it's expected to see a change in the disenchantment with politics that most members of society exhibited, and for this perception to make a 180-degree turn to consolidate voting and participation as the way to settle differences.
As long as common good is at the core, it matters little if we go left or right – the change from a government to another with a different ideology is common even in the most developed democracies. This is the will of the people and it should be respected.
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