Mexico - November 2022

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced in April his intention to reform Mexico’s electoral system through constitutional amendments. In November, the proposed reform was submitted to Congress, while civil society organized mass demonstrations in defence of the National Electoral Institute. Widespread criticism of the proposed reform reflects the concern about its potential impact on the independence of the country’s electoral authorities and risk to the integrity of elections and voter registry. The proposed reforms seek, among other aspects, to replace the way in which electoral authorities are currently appointed, allowing the president and his party to control most nominations, to significantly cut their budget, and to eliminate local electoral authorities. The President also announced a “plan B” reform to the electoral law if the constitutional plan fails to obtain the two-thirds majority required in Congress for constitutional amendments, which the ruling party does not possess.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Cable News Network, El Pais, New York Times