Constitutional amendments as a mechanism to pursue different goals in the context of internal and external challenges

Abstract

This article reviews the constitutional evolution of Russia and Mexico in order to determine the causes for their current differences regarding their policies and governance systems after sharing similar characteristics during their political and economic liberalization period over three decades ago. The subject of this research are constitutional amendments, their frequency by type (article or section) and initiators (institutions and actors) in both countries. Results are compared with the main theories of the main experts in the field as well as speeches by leading government figures to identify and explain discrepancies. The goal consists in finding the causes and purposes of constitutional amendments to determine a hierarchy of actors and their capacity and instruments required in establishing national policies. In order to achieve the research goal, the author carries out a comparative analysis regarding the evolution of both nations at a political and constitutional level, furthermore, external threats are analyzed regarding their ability to influence the decisions behind the main actors regarding the overall course of both nations. In conclusion, the author underlines the importance in initial position of the country within the larger order of nations as a determinant in its course regardless of the implementation of foreign policies and practices. In the same manner, the role of the Mexican and Russian presidents as regulators of the internal power dynamics and overall system of governance is noted in both countries. This article represents a conceptual framework for supporting constitutional studies in the context of comparative analysis to assess the capacity of government institutions in reacting to the challenges of their external context. The detailed theoretical and practical approach towards analyzing constitutional amendments was conducted by means of comparing a quantitative and qualitative analysis that allowed determining the prospects of a standardized system for future comparative studies.