HRW warns that the electoral reform of the Government of Mexico could put free elections at risk

MADRID, 6 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The NGO Human Right Watch (HRW) has warned this Tuesday that the Mexican government's proposal to modify the country's Constitution to reform the country's electoral system could "seriously" undermine the independence of the electoral authorities, putting free and fair elections at risk .

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's proposal would remove many of the safeguards intended to preserve the independence of the two national authorities charged with the task of supervising all elections, the National Electoral Institute (INE) and the Tribunal Electoral of the Judicial Power of the Federation (TEPJF), according to the organization.

Congress is expected to discuss and vote on the proposal before the end of the current legislative session on December 15, 2022.

"President López Obrador's proposed changes to the electoral system would make it much easier for any party in power to co-opt the country's electoral institutions to stay in power," said Tyler Mattiace, HRW's Mexico researcher.

"Given Mexico's long history of one-party rule maintained through questionable elections, it is extremely problematic for lawmakers to consider a highly regressive proposal that would undermine the independence of the electoral authority," Mattiace added.

Under López Obrador's proposal, all state electoral institutes and state electoral tribunals, the independent authorities that administer most state and local elections and enforce campaign rules as well as resolve electoral disputes, would be eliminated.

Their responsibilities would be transferred to the INE and the TEPJF, which would become the sole arbitrators of all elections in Mexico.

The proposal would also change the way governing members of the National Electoral Institute and the Federal Electoral Tribunal are appointed, removing safeguards intended to ensure their independence from the government.

The proposal would shorten and unify the terms of the members so that all the ruling members of both electoral authorities would be appointed at the same time, in the same process, during each six-year presidential term. Currently, these officials serve staggered nine-year terms and are appointed in separate selection processes by different officials in different years, as detailed by the NGO.

"Reducing the number of authorities responsible for administering elections and making it possible to appoint all electoral officials at once would make it much easier for the government to influence the selection process, which could undermine the independence of electoral authorities," the statement said. released by Human Right Watch.

For the organization, Mexico's current electoral system, which includes "many safeguards to protect the independence of electoral authorities," is the result of decades of reforms that began with the creation of INE in 1990 and led to the end of party rule. unique in 2000.

For much of the 20th century, one political party controlled almost all of Mexico's public institutions. The government organized periodic elections, which were generally not considered free or fair, and almost always held power.

The president's proposal would also remove the constitutional mandate for the National Electoral Institute, instead of the government, to manage the electoral registry as well as the official list of registered voters.

"The possibility that the electoral registry could be transferred to government control could contravene Mexican law and international norms for the protection of personal data. These standards prohibit organizations that have personal information, such as names, photos and fingerprints, from sharing that information without the express permission of the people whose data might be transferred," HRW added.

"Each country is obliged, under international law, to protect the right of citizens to vote and participate in the conduct of public affairs by ensuring that there is an independent electoral authority that can supervise elections fairly and impartially," it warned. the organization in his letter.