Mexican opposition prepares to protest against López Obrador’s electoral reforms

The opposition mexican called a protest next Sunday against electoral reforms approved by the pro-government majority in Congress, which according to its detractors threatens the entity that should organize the 2024 presidential elections.

under the motto #MiVotoNoSeTocapolitical and civil organizations grouped in the National Civic Front plan to march towards the Zócalo -the country’s main public square in Mexico City- and in other cities.

The organizers reject modifications to laws promoted by the leftist president Andres Manuel Lopez Obradorrecently endorsed by the Morena party and its allies in the Legislature.

These changes reduce the size and budget of the National Electoral Institute (INE), which López Obrador accuses of being onerous and of having tolerated fraud in the past.

Opponents say that in this way the independence of the INE is affected and the balance is tipped in favor of the government in the face of the presidential elections, scheduled for mid-2024.

“There is a group of vested interests, corrupt people who want to return to power to continue stealing; let them know, so they don’t come here (to the Zócalo) ‘democracy is important to us, democracy is affected’”, López Obrador said this Tuesday at his usual morning press conference.

“It is grouping, using any flag to attack the government”added the president, whose popularity is around 60% and who called on his followers to mobilize on March 18 on the occasion of the 85th anniversary of the nationalization of oil in Mexico.

The modifications were endorsed after the failure of a constitutional reform last December in which the ruling party proposed to eliminate the INE, by not reaching the necessary votes.

That attempt led to a massive protest on November 13 in Mexico City, to which López Obrador responded by mobilizing tens of thousands of supporters in the capital.

Both the INE and the opposition parties announced that they will demand the so-called “plan B” of the government before the Supreme Court of Justice.

Source: AFP