Mexican Congress rejects president's electoral reform bid
Source: Reuters
Mexican Congress rejects president's electoral reform bid
Tue, December 6, 2022 at 9:28 PM·2 min read
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The Mexican lower house of Congress on Tuesday rejected a controversial electoral reform backed by the president, after critics said the proposal had the potential to undermine the country's electoral independence.
With 269 votes in favor, 225 votes against, and one abstention, the leading party and its allies fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass the bill, which sought to convert the National Electoral Institute (INE) into a smaller and more powerful body of elected officials, alongside other political changes.
Still, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has already initiated an alternative route to get his reform through, having hours earlier sent a new proposal to the lower house. This does not include constitutional changes, and therefore requires only the simple majority the ruling coalition holds.
The new bill, as anticipated, is also somewhat less ambitious, with its main objective to reorganize and redefine the administrative tasks of the INE, as well as closing offices that will allow $150 million a year in savings.
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Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/mexican-congress-rejects-presidents-electoral-012839939.html
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Related: Mexico: Reject President’s Elections Overhaul (Human Rights Watch)
