Calay News
The US State Department has issued a statement showing its support for independent and well-resourced electoral institutions around the world. This message comes amid controversy over the reform of Mexico’s electoral authority, the National Electoral Institute (NEI). Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and his party, Morena, have proposed changes to the electoral authority, which has generated strong opposition in Mexico and led 100,000 Mexicans to take to the streets to defend the body’s autonomy.
The US statement acknowledges the intense debate taking place in Mexico and stresses the importance of having an independent electoral authority and respect for the judiciary in order to have a healthy democracy. The opposition in Mexico has accused López Obrador and Morena of besieging the electoral authority and the judiciary, while the ruling party has linked the body’s president to the opposition.
This is the second comment issued by Washington on Mexico’s electoral reform in the context of the opposition’s demonstration. Although the United States indicates that it respects Mexico’s sovereignty, the issue has strained relations between some of the authorities of both countries. The clash with the judges of the Supreme Court will be the next episode in the pulse proposed by López Obrador, since it will be the constitutional judges who will have to analyze the unconstitutionality appeals to which the opposition will resort to stop Plan B of the electoral reform. In summary, the US communiqué shows its support for independent electoral institutions and recalls the importance of judicial independence in a healthy democracy, while an intense debate is taking place in Mexico on the reform of the electoral authority.
