Alcabú regime (Mexico) (2032: Collapse)

From 2043 until 2060, Mexico was ruled as a military dictatorship by Nicolás Alcabú, an admiral of the Mexican Navy. From 2045 onward during this period, Mexico was officially governed as a federal presidential republic, and despite Alcabú's formal retirement from public office in 2048 he would continue to exercise power as Mexico's de facto dictator, controlling the presidency, while the Congress of the Union was reduced to a rubber stamp assembly and the only elections held were heavily rigged with opposition parties were outlawed, although the length of the presidential term was also shortened from 6 years to 2 years starting in 2054. Despite the legalization of some opposition parties in 2056, Mexico continued to be seen as an authoritarian dictatorship by foreign observers, although some progress toward a possible democratic transition were seen in the 2058 Mexican general election, although that election was still largely seen as rigged. In addition, restrictions on media were lessened after the conclusion of World War 3 in 2058, and the 2060 Mexican general election was considered the first election "anywhere close to free" since the 2042 Mexican general election, although there was still widespread reports of voter fraud and intimidation. The aftermath of the 2060 general elections led to protests breaking out in many major cities, eventually leading to the Mexican Revolution of 2060 breaking out.

## Early rule (National Reconstruction Junta era): 2043-45

### Background to the May 6 coup

*See main article here: 2043 Mexican constitutional crisis*

In early March of 2043, controversial and highly-contested by-elections took place in the Mexican states of Yucatan, Campeche, and Chiapas to fill several vacant seats in the legislature in those states, which ended in unusually high support for the increasingly unpopular PAN (National Action Party) government under president Bianca Lain. A dispute broke out after the PRD (Party of the Democratic Revolution) and other left-wing and centrist minority parties announced that they'd refuse to recognize the election results, and many PAN members of the Chamber of Deputies abruptly defected to the PRD on March 27, ending the PAN majority government and bringing the PRD and allied parties into the majority in the Chamber of Deputies, although PAN narrowly held it's majority in the Senate. The crisis escalated on April 2 when president Lain announced that she was overriding the General Congress' decision to dissolve the PAN minority government and form a PRD majority government, and the Supreme Court of Justice sided with the PAN on April 5, leading to accusations that members of the Supreme Court had been paid off to support Lain and her government.

The PAN government was dissolved by force on April 9, when members of the General Congress locked PAN government officials out of government buildings in Mexico City in what was called the April 2043 Mexican coup d'etat. A state of emergency was declared on April 14 by the new provisional government under Erick Aguinaldo, who ordered the Supreme Court to desist in it's demands to allow the PAN government to return to power, and the PRD's accusations of mass electoral fraud in the by-elections the previous month were verified on April 16. The PRD-led General Congress elected senator Benito Nores as President of Mexico on April 18, and PAN members were allowed to return to their seats on April 21. The state of emergency was lifted on April 23, and a brief period of relative quiet ensued in the country, however this period of silence would be broken when Lain returned to Mexico on May 2 and began demanding her installation in a high-ranking government position, a claim backed by the Mexican Army and Supreme Court. On May 3, Nores declared that he would refuse to reinstate her, and stated that she would be allowed to run for office in upcoming elections in August of that year. On May 4 and 5, the first coup attempt of the month occurred in Veracruz, where military officers occupied the city, although they were dispersed by the end of May 5.

### May 6 coup d'etat

*See main article here: May 2043 Mexican coup d'etat*

On the morning of May 6, 2043, Mexican troops occupied Monterrey, followed not long later by Tampico. Forces loyal to the government were paralyzed and essentially no resistance was offered as Mérida, Tijuana, Campeche City and Puebla (city) were occupied within hours. By the early evening hours, large parts of Mexico City, including the Legislative Palace of San Lázaro, had been occupied by the army, with Nores and his government fleeing first to Honduras, and then to Spain, where they formed a government in-exile. The government of Mexico was declared deposed after the storming of the legislative palace, and this was made formal 45 minutes later. Nicolás Alcabú was then sworn in as Interim President later that evening.

### Cancellation of August elections, first purge of political opposition (May-August 2043)

Several days after the coup, on May 13, after a period of rumors about the fate of the August elections, the newly formed National Reconstruction Junta confirmed the cancellation of the August 2043 elections, and the suspension of all national and local elections until 2045. In addition, it was announced that numerous Mexican military officers had been purged of their positions and had been detained for "anti-government sympathies", and of the 137 officers in the Navy, Army and Air Force that were purged, 85 of them would be executed. In addition, the first purge of left-wing political opposition occurred in July, with over 200 figures that had been known as leaders of opposition movements being arrested, many of whom would be executed. This purge of political opposition would reach it's head with the Battle of Parras de la Fuente, in which civilian militias were formed to protect political activists in hiding who were expected to be purged.

### Civil war (August 2043-January 2044)

*See main article here: War of the Two Brothers (2043-44)*

On August 1, the brother of Nicolás and officeholder of the reinstated position of Vice President of Mexico, Marco Alcabú, led a abortive coup against Nicolás, fearing the increasingly secular ideals of the Mexican government under his leadership. After the failure of this coup, Marco fled to the family's home state of Campeche, where he led Catholic fundamentalists first into a coup in Campeche, installing himself as Governor of Campeche and declaring the state's separation from Mexico as the Campeche Republic. By the end of the month however, the Campeche Republic had fallen and resistance was left to rural pockets. Fighting spread to Yucatan in September, and isolated pro-Marco pockets rose up in Chihuahua in October. However, rebel activity began to be cracked down upon even more severely in November and December, with resistance declared as being cleared from Yucatan on January 3, 2044. Marco himself was captured by Mexican troops near the community of Pablo Garcia in Campeche, and was promptly executed. Resistance was declared cleared from Campeche on January 8, and remaining forces were declared destroyed after the federal victory at the Battle of Ciudad Jiménez on January 26.