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The Mexican Senate approved a reform that will transform the country’s electoral system to make it closer to the citizen and more transparent. For its detractors, it is an “attack” against democracy that only strengthens the power of the Executive.
After the green light received by the Chamber of Deputies, on February 22, Mexican senators ratified the text promoted by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador: 72 senators from the ruling Morena party and their allies voted in favor of this law that will refound the electoral system Mexican.
A law that will transform the “opaque” electoral system
A revolution for some, a setback for the 50 senators who voted against. Among the important points, the regulation will reduce the budget of the regulatory body, the National Electoral Institute (INE), described as not very transparent and which would have tolerated fraud in past elections.
The ultimate goal would be to replace the INE with the National Institute of Elections and Consultations. He also proposes that the councilors be elected by the people, reducing their current number from 11 to seven councilor posts.
A controversial “Bis Law”
For the opposition, touching the INE budget is compromising the autonomy of the organization, which will see its room for maneuver limited to punish electoral violations, such as government propaganda in times of proselytism. The opposition also estimates that it will no longer be able to punish politicians for electoral violations during campaigns. The law has been baptized “Bis law” by those who consider that it is included in a package of reforms of “secondary laws”, organized after the failure of a reform of the Constitution in 2022.
This project provoked a wave of demonstrations after doubts about the interests of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, AMLO, a few years before the presidential elections. The opposition bench announced that it will take the case before the Court of Justice because this reform could give advantages to the leftist government in the general elections scheduled for mid-2024.
He has 30 days to do so, although in fact the court had already ordered the suspension of the application of other electoral reforms, previously approved by the ruling bloc, in the next two state elections.
Manifestations in forecasts
Meanwhile, the opposition decided to maintain its protest movement, and has called a demonstration in Mexico City and other locations next Sunday to protest against this electoral reform under the slogan #MiVotoNoSeToca.
Opposite, the president, who has a strong wind with a popularity of around 60%, lacks legal possibilities to run for re-election. The mobilizations of support could also be important if the movement of November 27, in which the streets of the Mexican capital were filled, is reproduced.
