Opposition events and civil society organizations had known as on Mexicans to exhibit within the capital and different cities towards proposed electoral reforms that might remake the Nationwide Electoral Institute, one of many nation’s most prized and trusted establishments.
López Obrador sees the institute as beholden to the elite, however critics say his reforms would threaten its independence and make it extra political. The initiative consists of eliminating state-level electoral places of work, slicing public financing of political events and permitting the general public to elect members of the electoral authority fairly than the decrease chamber of Congress.
It could additionally scale back the variety of legislators within the decrease chamber of Congress from 500 to 300 and senators from 128 to 96 by eliminating at-large lawmakers. These usually are not straight elected by voters, however seem on get together lists and get seats primarily based on their get together’s proportion of the vote.
The proposal is predicted to be mentioned in Mexico’s Congress in coming weeks, the place the president’s Morena get together and allies maintain a bonus.
“I’m already fed up with Andrés Manuel, with so many lies, a lot crime,” mentioned Alejandra Galán, a 45-year-old supervisor, as she raised a Mexican flag in the midst of the multitude. “He needs to take the (electoral institute) from us in order that ultimately it’s like Venezuela, Cuba, however we’re not going to let him.”
Jorge González mentioned such comparisons to authoritarian regimes could seem exaggerated at this level, however “I believe it’s solely a step away. We’ve got to have a transparent separation of powers, unbiased establishments and particularly the Nationwide Electoral Institute.”
The 49-year-old, who works within the finance sector, famous the seven a long time of uninterrupted rule by the Institutional Revolutionary Social gathering, which was lastly ousted in 2000. “The worry isn’t having an unbiased civic establishment, the place we are able to actually belief within the elections and (as a substitute) going again to a approach with an institute the place it’s run by a single get together.”
Fernando Belaunzarán, one of many promoters of the protest, mentioned 200,000 folks participated within the march. Authorities didn’t affirm this determine.
López Obrador has spent a long time battling electoral authorities. He considers himself a sufferer of electoral fraud on a number of events, although it was the Nationwide Electoral Institute that confirmed his landslide presidential victory in 2018.
Organizers have mentioned the march isn’t towards López Obrador, however to attract consideration to the proposal and to induce lawmakers to vote towards it.
López Obrador’s get together doesn’t have sufficient votes to move the constitutional reform with out help from the opposition.
Final week, López Obrador devoted a superb a part of his day by day morning press conferences to dismissing the promoters of the demonstration, calling them “cretins” and “corrupt,” aiming to trick the folks. He defended the proposal as in search of to cut back the electoral authority’s finances and avoiding “electoral fraud.”
Whereas agreeing that some value financial savings may very well be fascinating, some analysts fear eliminating the state electoral places of work would focus energy an excessive amount of on the federal stage and sacrifice effectivity.
Deciding on members of the Electoral Courtroom and management of the institute by widespread vote would give the events extra energy to choose candidates. The proposal would additionally scale back members of the institute’s council from 11 to seven.
Patricio Morelos of Monterrey Technological College identified that with López Obrador having fun with excessive reputation and his get together controlling the vast majority of Mexico’s 32 state governments, they might have a bonus if the electoral authority is remade and would seemingly exert management.
Protester Giovanni Rodrigo, a 44-year-old salaried employee, mentioned López Obrador doesn’t wish to let go of energy, if it’s not himself within the presidency, he needs to resolve who.
“I consider indisputably he’s the most effective politician that exists in the present day in fashionable historical past and that’s why he’s the proprietor of a celebration” that controls the vast majority of Mexican states, he mentioned. “It hasn’t been sufficient. He needs increasingly.”
AP author Mark Stevenson contributed to this report.
