Alarm at Mexico bill allowing elections to be annulled for ‘foreign interference’ | Mexico
In the face of fierce criticism from opposition groups, the Mexican senate has passed a constitutional amendment that includes “foreign intervention” as a justification for annulling the country’s election results.
The bill, introduced by the country’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, defines foreign interference as “illegal financing, propaganda, systematic dissemination of misinformation, digital manipulation, and interference by foreign governments or organizations.”
But critics say the bill’s broad language means almost anything could be used to overturn the election results: an article in a British newspaper, a statement by a U.S. official, a report by an international NGO.
“This is one of the most terrible, alarming and reactionary laws in Mexico’s young democratic history,” said Arturo Sarukhan, Mexico’s former ambassador to the United States. in x. “This law does not prevent foreign intervention. It gives the government the right to veto election results it does not like.”
The amendment has already been passed by the lower house of congress and now must be approved by a majority of Mexico’s 32 states. Sheinbaum’s Morena controls 24 government buildings.
The bill comes as Mexico faces increasing pressure from the United States on security, with Donald Trump repeatedly threatening to invade the country and fight the cartels. Last month, the US justice department indicted 10 current and former officials from the state of Sinaloa, including the governor, for their ties to a powerful drug trafficking group.
The indictment of Rubén Rocha Moya, governor of Sinaloa and a close ally of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (known as Amlo), sent shockwaves through Mexico’s political establishment. Sheinbaum called for more evidence from the United States before considering extradition.
The Mexican president has also doubled down on the importance of sovereignty and non-intervention since the indictment was made public.
“All Mexicans must agree that there should be no foreign interference in elections in Mexico,” Sheinbaum said at a news conference Thursday. “We must all agree that we Mexicans decide who governs us in Mexico.”
The bill comes as Mexico faces midterm elections next year that could see the ruling Morena party lose its grip on power: The party currently controls the presidency and both the upper and lower houses of congress.
The bill would allow Mexico’s electoral court to annul election results if it finds there was interference by an overseas organization, foreign government or citizen. But the court was stripped of its independence under Amlo and is now largely aligned with Morena.
“If [Morena] “If they want, they can claim foreign interference and the court will rule in their favor,” said political analyst Carlos Bravo Regidor. “The truth is, I don’t see any point in it. [the bill]any value, any validity. This is abuse.”
The Mexican opposition was equally critical of the proposed change.
“This is a trap that allows Morena to literally cancel any election she wants,” Ricardo Anaya, a senator from the opposition Pan party, told reporters. “What they want to ensure is total control.”
