What major reforms in the 1990s helped loosen authoritarian rules and increase electoral competition?

What major reforms in the 1990s helped loosen authoritarian rules and increase electoral competition?

• A. Electoral reforms that expanded party competition, increased INE autonomy, and reduced state manipulation, along with greater civil society and media openness.
• B. Reforms that centralized political power and restricted civil society.
• C. Military expansion and tightening of media controls.
• D. Economic reforms with no impact on elections.

Answer: (A)

These reforms targeted how elections were run and who could participate, making the system more fair and open. By creating a more autonomous electoral body, the IFE/INE, elections became less controllable by the ruling party and more credible. Legal changes opened space for opposition parties to compete and run campaigns, while greater civil society engagement and a freer media reduced state grip on information and political life. This combination directly increased electoral competition and loosened authoritarian constraints. Centralizing power, tightening media or civil society, or focusing only on economic changes would not produce the same openness in elections.