---
title: "Dedazo — AP Comp Gov Definition & Exam Guide"
description: "Dedazo was the Mexican president's informal power to hand-pick the next PRI candidate, killing real competition. Key for AP Comp Gov Unit 4 electoral rules."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/dedazo"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP Comparative Government"
unit: "Unit 4"
---

# Dedazo — AP Comp Gov Definition & Exam Guide

## Definition

Dedazo ("the big finger-point") was the informal practice in PRI-era Mexico where the sitting president personally selected his successor as the party's presidential candidate, undermining competitive elections until electoral reforms and PRI primaries ended it in the late 1990s.

## What It Is

Dedazo comes from the Spanish word *dedo* (finger). It refers to the outgoing Mexican president literally pointing the finger at the next presidential candidate of the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party). Because the PRI dominated Mexican politics for most of the 20th century, getting the dedazo basically meant winning the presidency. The general election was a formality. Voters technically cast ballots, but the real selection happened behind closed doors inside one party.

That's why dedazo is the textbook example of an [electoral system](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/electoral-system "fv-autolink") that looks democratic on paper but isn't competitive in practice. The CED's essential knowledge (DEM-2.A.1) draws exactly this line. In some regimes rules allow genuinely [competitive selection](/ap-comp-gov/unit-4 "fv-autolink") of representatives, while in others rules (formal or informal) are bent to advance political interests. Dedazo was an informal rule that hollowed out a formal election. Mexico's electoral reforms in the 1990s, including the creation of an independent electoral institute and the PRI's shift to candidate primaries, eliminated the practice and helped Mexico transition to genuinely competitive elections, capped by the PRI losing the presidency in 2000.

## Why It Matters

Dedazo lives in **Topic 4.1 (Electoral Systems and Rules)** in **Unit 4: Party and Electoral Systems and Citizen Organizations**, supporting learning objective **[AP Comp Gov](/ap-comp-gov "fv-autolink") 4.1.A**, which asks you to describe electoral systems and rules among course countries. The big idea behind that LO is that [elections](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/elections "fv-autolink") only produce democratic outcomes if the rules around them allow real competition. Dedazo is your go-to evidence for Mexico's side of that comparison. It shows how an authoritarian-leaning regime can hold regular elections while an informal practice predetermines the winner. It's also a great before-and-after case. You can use dedazo to explain what changed when Mexico democratized, and contrast it with regimes like Iran, where the Guardian Council still filters who can run.

## Connections

### [Independent Electoral Institute (Unit 4)](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/independent-electoral-institute)

Mexico's [independent electoral institute](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/independent-electoral-institute "fv-autolink") (originally IFE, now INE) is the institutional answer to dedazo. Once an autonomous body ran elections instead of the PRI-controlled government, the president's finger-point stopped guaranteeing victory. Pair these two terms whenever you explain Mexico's democratization.

### [Federal Election Tribunal (Unit 4)](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/federal-election-tribunal)

The [Federal Election Tribunal](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/federal-election-tribunal "fv-autolink") resolves election disputes independently of the executive. Together with the electoral institute, it shows how Mexico replaced informal presidential control of elections with formal, neutral referees.

### [Guardian Council (Unit 4)](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/guardian-council)

Iran's [Guardian Council](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/guardian-council "fv-autolink") vets every Majles and presidential candidate before voters see the ballot, per DEM-2.A.1. It's the modern parallel to dedazo. Both are ways an unelected or unaccountable actor narrows the menu before the election happens. The difference is that Iran's filter is formal and ongoing, while Mexico's was informal and is now gone.

### [Chamber of Deputies (Unit 4)](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/chamber-of-deputies)

Mexico's mixed electoral system for the [Chamber of Deputies](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/chamber-of-deputies "fv-autolink") (combining single-member districts with proportional representation) is part of the same reform story. Adding PR seats gave opposition parties a foothold, chipping away at the one-party dominance that made dedazo possible in the first place.

## On the AP Exam

Dedazo has appeared on the real exam. The 2018 SAQ Q4 used it, asking about informal candidate selection and electoral reform in Mexico. Expect it in two forms. In multiple choice, a stem might describe "a practice where the outgoing executive informally chooses the party's next candidate" and ask you to identify it or explain its effect on electoral competition. In free response, dedazo works as concrete evidence for arguments about democratization, electoral reform, or the gap between formal rules and informal practice. Two moves earn points. First, define it precisely (informal, presidential, PRI-era, successor selection). Second, connect it to an outcome, like reduced electoral competition before reform or increased competition after the independent electoral institute took over.

## Dedazo vs Guardian Council vetting (Iran)

Both restrict who can become a candidate, but they work differently. Dedazo was an informal, unwritten practice where one person (Mexico's president) picked one party's nominee, and it no longer exists. Guardian Council vetting is a formal, constitutional power in Iran where an unelected body screens all candidates for office, and it's still in effect today. If the question is about Mexico's past, it's dedazo. If it's about Iran's present, it's the Guardian Council.

## Key Takeaways

- Dedazo was the informal practice where Mexico's sitting president personally chose the PRI's next presidential candidate, effectively choosing his own successor.
- Because the PRI dominated Mexican elections for decades, the dedazo (not the general election) decided who became president, making elections noncompetitive in practice.
- Dedazo is a prime example of DEM-2.A.1's point that informal rules can undermine formally competitive elections.
- Electoral reforms in the 1990s, especially the creation of an independent electoral institute and the PRI's move to primaries, ended dedazo and opened the door to the PRI's loss in 2000.
- On the exam, compare dedazo with Iran's Guardian Council vetting to show two different ways regimes limit candidate selection, one informal and abolished, one formal and ongoing.

## FAQs

### What is dedazo in AP Comparative Government?

Dedazo was the informal practice in PRI-era Mexico where the outgoing president hand-picked the party's next presidential candidate, which essentially decided who became president since the PRI dominated elections. It's tested in Unit 4 (Topic 4.1) as an example of noncompetitive electoral practices.

### Does dedazo still happen in Mexico?

No. Electoral reforms in the 1990s, including an independent electoral institute running elections and the PRI adopting candidate primaries, eliminated the practice. The PRI's loss of the presidency in 2000 confirmed Mexico's shift to competitive elections.

### How is dedazo different from the Guardian Council in Iran?

Dedazo was an informal, now-abolished Mexican practice where one president picked one party's nominee. Iran's Guardian Council is a formal, unelected body that still vets all candidates before elections. Both restricted candidate selection, but through completely different mechanisms.

### Why did dedazo make Mexican elections undemocratic?

Because the PRI won every presidential election for decades, the real choice of president happened inside one party, made by one man, before voters ever cast a ballot. The formal election existed, but the informal rule predetermined the outcome.

### Has dedazo been on the AP Comp Gov exam?

Yes. The 2018 exam's SAQ Q4 used dedazo, asking about informal candidate selection and electoral reform in Mexico. It's also fair game in multiple choice questions about electoral rules and competition under learning objective AP Comp Gov 4.1.A.

## Related Study Guides

- [4.1 Electoral Systems and Rules ](/ap-comp-gov/unit-4/electoral-systems-rules/study-guide/uX7BAeHwubYnGYe4MrWc)

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