From a political point of view, the current year 2022 now ending, may be characterized as the year of the fight for Mexico’s National Electoral Institute (INE). The contenders in this fight have been, on the one hand, the federal government, and on the other political opposition of Congress and numerous citizen groups. The constitutional amendment initiative presented by President López Obrador did not receive the legislative approval needed, since the qualified majority (2/3) required for an amendment of the Mexican Constitutional was not reached, so the Federal Executive decided to enter the path of legal reforms. However, the Executive branch estimated that it could obtain, as in fact has happened, a majority of votes required to alter the legal framework of the National Electoral Institute and the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary.
The debate, which is typical of a democratic society, faced the legislative opposition accompanied by a large group of citizens organizing under the slogan “The INE should not be touched.” This led to two great political demonstrations. The first of these consisted mostly of citizen groups, mainly from Mexico City, although there were demonstrations in other cities around the country and some abroad, in favor of preserving the current regulatory regime of the INE. The citizen demonstrations were followed by an official response from the government with another massive demonstration led by President López Obrador himself.
The legal amendments are currently in the process of being implemented, and it is highly likely the Mexican Supreme Court of Justice will have the last word on the constitutionality of the official proposal that was supported by majorities in both houses of Mexico’s Congress: the federal Senate and Chamber of Deputies. The fact that demonstrations of hundreds of thousands of people have taken place and that the presidential proposal has been conducted through institutional channels and in a notoriously civilized and peaceful manner, show the maturity that politics has reached in Mexico. It will now be necessary to wait for the determination of the Supreme Court on a matter of interest to the entire country.
