President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Thursday he expects legal challenges to his electoral reform, a package of laws approved by Congress that will cut thousands of National Institute employees. (INE) and that, according to its detractors, will weaken the framework for electoral campaign expenditure.
Despite legal challenges to electoral reform, López Obrador said he would enact the laws even if election officials say they will weaken democracy in Mexico. The president has defended his initiative, focusing his attacks on INE on the fact that it costs taxpayers too much and pays high salaries to its executives,
The reform was approved on Wednesday by the pro-government majority in the Senate, with the support of the allied forces, with 72 votes in favor and 50 against.
“Let these reforms be called into question. Let the judiciary be used through appeals, controversies. It’s all part of democratic political normality,” López Obrador said during his morning conference, acknowledging the risks involved in the package of laws, known as “Plan B,” which he has promoted since the end of of last year after failing to secure enough votes in Congress for constitutional reform involving more far-reaching electoral changes.
The president was confident that electoral reform would overcome legal challenges because it is not prohibited.
Although López Obrador was indifferent to legal challenges, he has frequently attacked the judiciary in the past, claiming the judges are part of a conservative plot against his administration.
Mexican elections are expensive, in part because nearly all campaign finance is provided by law by the government. INE also issues voter credentials, which are the most commonly accepted form of identification in Mexico, and oversees voting in remote and often dangerous corners of the country.
Opposition groups and activists called for rallies on Sunday in the Mexican capital and other cities to protest electoral reform.
The president has repeatedly denied that the package of laws could jeopardize elections in Mexico, as claimed by electoral authorities and opponents.
INE president Lorenzo Córdova, frequently criticized by López Obrador, defended the organization fervently. Ahead of the Congress vote, Córdova said on her Twitter account that the reforms aim to remove thousands of people who work to ensure reliable elections and warned that this will pose “a risk to future elections”.
Contrary to those who consider the INE an essential pillar of the country’s modern democracy since 2000, López Obrador and his supporters have questioned the electoral institute since 2006, when he lost the presidential elections with a minimal difference of 0.56%. He then denounced that his defeat was due to electoral fraud. Twelve years later, the politician won the presidency by a wide margin.
López Obrador’s ruling party, Morena, currently looks favored to win next year’s presidential election against a disorganized opposition. Despite the popularity levels the Mexican president maintains, he is not eligible for re-election.