Distrito Federal (Mexico)

Distrito Federal (Mexico) or Federal District (Mexico), political entity in central Mexico, seat of the country's federal government. The district is composed of the capital, Mexico City, and several suburban cities. With an area of 1,547 sq km (597 sq mi), the Distrito Federal is one of the world's largest extended metropolitan areas. The district is bordered by the states of Mexico to the north and Morelos to the south.

Because it contains Mexico City, the Distrito Federal is the heart of the country's transportation system. Many of Mexico's north-south railroads pass through the area; Benito Juárez International Airport, Mexico's largest airport, is also located here. The district includes a modern subway system, but most of the routes are confined to Mexico City's downtown area. The Distrito Federal is the industrial center of Mexico, manufacturing such goods as chemicals, plastics, cement, and textiles. The district also ranks first in the country in finance, tourism, and other service industries. Mexico's leading academic and cultural institutions are located here, including the National Autonomous University of Mexico (1551). In 2005 the capital’s population was 8,720,916.

The Distrito Federal was created by the 1824 constitution as a place to locate national governmental powers, the land for which was to be taken from the state of Mexico, including Mexico City. Its legal situation was formalized in the 1917 constitution. Unlike the Mexican states, the district did not elect a governor and was governed instead by the head of the Department of the Federal District, a member of the president's cabinet. This person was appointed by the president and widely perceived to be one of the most influential government officials in the country. In 1988 residents began electing representatives to an Assembly of the Federal District, a newly created legislative body. However, the assembly exercised little influence on policy decisions affecting the district.

In April 1993 Distrito Federal residents who cast ballots in an unofficial plebiscite voted overwhelmingly in favor of direct election of the city government, the creation of a city legislature, and statehood for the Distrito Federal. Pointing to a relatively low turnout of 330,000 people out of 5.3 million eligible voters, however, the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) discounted the vote as unrepresentative of the majority of the district's residents.

In July 1993 Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari put forth a constitutional amendment that aimed to make the district's government somewhat more democratic by limiting the president's options for appointing the head of the Distrito Federal and by giving the Assembly of the Federal District veto power over the president's selection. Opposition parties, who had backed the unofficial plebiscite, denounced Salinas's limited proposals and called for more wide-ranging democratic reforms. Legislation that was eventually approved established a mayor's position for Mexico City—creating a powerful new political office directly accountable to the residents of the city—and set an election date for 1997. The legislation included a provision that the Assembly of the Federal District, the head of the assembly, and the mayor of Mexico City would work in conjunction to govern the region.

The mayoral election, held in July 1997, dealt a blow to the PRI’s traditional power. Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Solórzano, leader of the opposition Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), was elected with a large majority of the votes. Cárdenas was inaugurated in December 1997, becoming Mexico City’s first elected mayor since the 1920s.