Home Headlines Mexico has spoken

Mexico has spoken

by sanmigueltimes
0 comments

Hundreds of thousands of people filled Mexico City’s vast main plaza Sunday to protest President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s electoral law changes they say threaten democracy and could mark a return to the past.

The plaza is normally thought to hold nearly 100,000 people, but many protesters who couldn’t fit in the square spilled onto nearby streets.

The marchers were clad mostly in white and pink — the color of the National Electoral Institute — and shouted slogans like “Don’t Touch my Vote!” Like a similar but somewhat larger march on Nov. 13, the marchers appeared somewhat more affluent than those at the average demonstration.

The electoral law changes drew attention from the U.S. government.

Elections in Mexico are expensive by international standards, in part because almost all legal campaign financing is, by law, supplied by the government.
Elections in Mexico are expensive by international standards, in part because almost all legal campaign financing is, by law, supplied by the government.

Brian A. Nichols, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for Western hemisphere affairs, wrote in his Twitter account that “Today, in Mexico, we see a great debate on electoral reforms that are testing the independence of electoral and judicial institutions.”

“The United States supports independent, well-resourced electoral institutions that strengthen democratic processes and the rule of law,” Nichols wrote.

López Obrador’s proposals were passed last week. Once enacted, they would cut salaries, funding for local election offices and training for citizens who operate and oversee polling stations. They would also reduce sanctions for candidates who fail to report campaign spending.


Dressed in various shades of pink, the official color of the electoral oversight body that helped end single-party rule two decades ago, the demonstrators filled the capital’s Zocalo and shouted, “The vote is not touched!

Mérida, courtesy of TYT.

San Miguel Times
Newsroom

You may also like

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept

Our Company

News website that serves the English-speaking community in San Miguel with information and advertising services that exceed their expectations.

Newsletter

Laest News

@2024 All Right Reserved by San Miguel Times