The future of democracy in Mexico is a regional issue, say experts in the face of the “threat” of electoral reform

The electoral reform proposed by the government of the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and the “dire” consequences it could have on the right of Mexicans to free and transparent elections, should be closely followed by the governments of the Americas , political scientists and experts on the subject insisted this Tuesday.

“We live in a global context. Concerns about what is happening in another country in terms of the health of democracy and its situation is a matter that concerns us all. It happened last year in Brazil and now it is being seen in Mexico Our countries are not islands,” warned the director of the Mexican National Electoral Institute (INE), Lorenzo Córdova.

Córdova was the keynote speaker at a meeting sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank based in Washington, to discuss the so-called Plan B proposed by López Obrador and the future of democracy in Mexico.

The constitutional reform, approved in an accelerated manner by Congress, caused unprecedented mass protests and is currently being challenged in the Supreme Court. The United States government and legislators from both Houses of Congress expressed their concern about the new laws, which led to the rejection of the Mexican president.

According to Córdova, the proposal is a “threat” because it tries to “undermine” and “weaken” the work of the INE, the highest authority responsible for ensuring the transparency and organization of all electoral processes in the Mexican nation.

“The main damage lies in the dismantling of the agency’s professional structure,” denounced the renowned political scientist, who specified that if the changes were implemented, the agency would lose more than 84% of the workforce, which would severely limit its capacity. to do your job.

Cordova mentioned the immense popular support towards the INE, a state organization that functions as an independent entity of parties and powers, which demonstrates the “trust of the people” in the institution, which has acceptance rates above 70%. “This is something that gives us hope, we don’t feel alone,” he said.

“This is unprecedented. People are not only claiming against the government or in favor of a political party, but to continue having free conditions to exercise their vote and this is something very important,” he said.

The director of the INE acknowledged that, despite everything, he feels “optimistic” and hopes that the Supreme Court will declare the reform unconstitutional, so that Mexico can move towards the 2024 presidential elections “with the legal framework that allows us so far stability and democracy and democratic conditions”.

A threat that should not be ignored

“We have to solve our problems and I am very confident in the strength of our democratic institutions at this moment, in the Supreme Court, but I think it is very important to take care of each other as well,” Córdova said in light of the need for international observers and follow-up by from the rest of the countries in the region.

For the director for Latin America of the US National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI in English), Deborah Ullman, the INE is the “gold standard for electoral integrity”, which is why “attacks” on an institution dedicated to preserve electoral transparency.

Ullman recalled the examples of the United States and Brazilwhere the election results were refuted, with “terrible consequences” and warned of the consequences if this pattern continues to repeat itself.

“We’ve seen it in the United States, we’ve seen it in Brazil. The autocrats in the region are watching to see what happens, so I think it’s important that democracies support those who defend it (…) I hope we see a strong international electoral observation, as well as citizen observation to accompany the INE during this difficult time,” he said.

For his part, Salvadoran political scientist Máximo Zaldívar mentioned recent attempts to reduce the powers of electoral authorities in Peru, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and El Salvador and warned how the weakening of the INE could set a dangerous precedent.

The director for the Americas of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES in English), a non-profit organization based in Virginia, USA, indicated that he trusts “a lot in the Mexican judicial system” and that he hopes that “the cold head”.

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