Editing Devolution (section)

==Mexico==

===The Federal District===
All constituent [[political divisions of Mexico|states of Mexico]] are fully autonomous and comprise a federation. The Federal District, originally integrated by [[Mexico City]] and other municipalities, was created in 1824 to be the capital of the federation. As such, it was governed directly by the central or federal government and the [[president of Mexico]] appointed its governor or executive regent. Even though the municipalities within the Federal District were autonomous, their powers were limited. In 1928, these municipalities were abolished and transformed into non-autonomous {{lang|es|[[delegación|delegaciones]]}} or boroughs and a "Central Department", later renamed as Mexico City. In 1970 this department was split into four new ''delegaciones'', and Mexico City was constitutionally defined to be synonymous and coterminous with the entire Federal District.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://constitucion.gob.mx/index.php?art_id=44 |title=Article 44, Political Constitution of the United Mexican States, Second Title, Second Chapter, 44th article |access-date=2007-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928011529/http://constitucion.gob.mx/index.php?art_id=44 |archive-date=2007-09-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref> (As such, the [[boroughs of the Mexican Federal District|boroughs of the Federal District]] are boroughs of Mexico City).

In the 1980s, the citizens of the Federal District, being the most populated federal entity in Mexico, began to demand home rule: a devolution of autonomy in order to directly elect their head of government and to set up a Legislative Assembly. In 1987, an Assembly of Representatives was created, by constitutional decree, whose members were elected by popular vote. The devolution of the executive power was not granted until 1997 when the first [[head of Government of the Federal District|head of government]] was elected by popular vote. Finally, in 2000, power was devolved to the ''delegaciones'', though limited: residents can now elect their own "heads of borough government" (''jefes delegacionales'', in Spanish), but the ''delegaciones'' do not have regulatory powers and are not constituted by a board of trustees, like the [[municipalities of Mexico|municipalities of the constituent states]].

The autonomy, or home rule, of the Federal District, was granted by the federal government, which in principle has the right to remove it. The president of Mexico still holds the final word in some decisions (e.g. he must approve some posts), and the [[Congress of Mexico|Congress of the Union]] reviews the budget of the Federal District and sets the limit to its debt.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finanzas.df.gob.mx/documentos/CodigoFinanciero_2007.pdf |title=Código Financiero del Distrito Federal |access-date=2007-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070808005758/http://www.finanzas.df.gob.mx/documentos/CodigoFinanciero_2007.pdf |archive-date=2007-08-08 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Some left-wing groups and political parties have advocated, since the 1980s, for a full devolution of powers by transforming the Federal District into the thirty-second constituent state of the Federation (with the proposed name of "State of the Valley of Mexico", to be distinguished from the [[state of México]]; another proposed name is "State of the Anahuac").

===Indigenous peoples===
In a recent amendment to the [[Constitution of Mexico]], the country was defined as a "pluricultural nation" founded upon the "[[indigenous peoples]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://info4.juridicas.unam.mx/ijure/fed/9/3.htm?s=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070811193236/http://info4.juridicas.unam.mx/ijure/fed/9/3.htm?s=|url-status=dead|title=Second Article of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States|archive-date=August 11, 2007}}</ref> They are granted "free-determination" to choose the social, economic, cultural and political organization for which they are to elect representatives democratically in whatever manner they see fit, traditionally or otherwise, as long as women have the same opportunities to participate in their social and political life. There are, however, no prescribed limits to their territories, and they are still under the jurisdiction of the municipalities and states in which they are located; the indigenous peoples can elect representatives before the municipal councils. In practice, they are allowed to have an autonomous form of self-government, but they are still subject to the rights and responsibilities set forth by the federal constitution and the constitution of the states in which they are located.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eia.gov.nt.ca/en/priorities/implementing-devolution-agreement/aboriginal-peoples-and-devolution|title=Aboriginal Peoples and Devolution|last=Affairs|first=Executive and Indigenous|website=www.eia.gov.nt.ca|language=en|access-date=2019-02-22}}</ref>