From husbands to enemies: the conflict between Roberto Gil Zuarth and Carla Humphrey for INE

Carla Humphreythe adviser of the National Electoral Institute (INE) who aspires – with difficulty – to chair the said body, was married a few years ago to a former PAN senator, who even became the private secretary of Felipe Calderón when he was president of Mexico. It is Roberto Gil Zuarth.

Carla —who for more than two decades has consolidated her career in electoral organizations— got married in 2008 with Roberto, a lawyer who has been a member of Acción Nacional (PAN) all his life. However, despite the fact that said marriage ended in 2013, the remnants of their relationship are currently taking their toll on Humphrey’s aspirations. This is how she accuses him.

And it is that, within the framework of the renewal of the presidency of the INE with the end of the mandate of Lorenzo Cordobathe Technical Evaluation Commission elected by the Chamber of Deputies considered that it would be unconstitutional for Carla to be the next head of the electorate, since she is currently a councillor.

However, the former member of the Federal District Electoral Institute challenged the decision, so now the matter is in the hands of the Federal Judicial Electoral Tribunal (TEPJF). However, Humphrey Jordan has warned of a conflict of interest involving her ex-husband and the Speaker of the Upper House, Reyes Rodríguez Mondragón.

Despite the fact that Roberto Gil currently holds no public office since his senatorial term ended in 2018, his ex-wife has warned that the politician is using his influence to affect him.

“On June 7, 2008, I married Roberto Gil Zuarth, a relationship that ended in November 2013, a situation that generated enmity in him towards me, which led him to intervene against me at least three times,” Carla said in an extension of her appeal.

According to her, her ex-husband interfered in the process of appointing electoral authorities in order to affect her; twice they were in the formation of the General Council of the INE and in one of them for the integration of the Superior Chamber of the TEPJF, when she joined it from 2014 to 2016.

Humphrey accused Gil Zuarth of using “connections and influence resulting from the public offices he held” to harm him. In addition, he explained that in 2020 he tried to prevent him from reaching the INE Council, because he had lobbied MPs and party leaders, but without success.

Now the current wife of the morenista grandson of santiago —with whom she married at the end of 2021— points out that the magistrate Reyes Rodríguez maintains a close friendship with Roberto Gil, “result of the working relationship they had”, since, he recalled, Mondragón was Deputy Director General of the Office of the Undersecretary of Segob in 2010, when Roberto was Undersecretary, as well as on other occasions.

The other working relationship the two have had was during the election campaign of the PAN to the presidency in 2012, coordinated by Gil Zuarth, as well as when the current magistrate was technical secretary of the Senate Justice Commission, when the PAN member was a senator.

“Reyes Rodríguez Mondragón was appointed in 2013 magistrate of the Regional Chamber of Monterrey and in 2016 member of the Superior Chamber, promoted by Roberto Gil Zuarthwho was a senator of the Republic at the time,” he said.

Thus, Carla Humphrey pointed out that the president of the TEPJF is prevented from rendering a judgment concerning the recusal of the adviser, which was presented on March 3. “It is a public fact that, in the case, the bond of friendship existing between Roberto Gil Zuarth and the magistrate Reyes Rodríguez Mondragón, and the manifest enmity of the first towards me, constitute an objective circumstance which allows us to presume reasonably that there is interference in the sphere of the judge,” he explained.

This extension came after the publication of the magistrate’s project in which he intends to agree with the evaluation commission, considering that “the adviser’s proposals are unfounded”.

Meanwhile, the former senator – who married Elia Mary Knight Corripio in May 2014 – has not commented on the affair.