Former electoral presidents call for consensus on reform

Former electoral presidents emphasized that no law requires greater consensus than electoral laws. Therefore, they highlighted the importance of academics, organizations, political parties, and the general public demanding this consensus in the face of an imminent electoral reform promoted by the ruling party.

In their lecture "Electoral Reform: Building an Alternative," the representatives of the then Federal Electoral Institute (IFE), María Marván; Leonardo Valdés; and the last president of the National Electoral Institute (INE), Lorenzo Córdova, also acknowledged that changes in electoral matters are always welcome, but only if they resolve real problems.

"There is never a perfect solution in electoral matters, but there are perfect mistakes, when they are made through expulsion and imposition," said María Marván.

Meanwhile, in a letter read at the event, José Woldenberg, also a former IFE councilor, stated that electoral matters are the regulatory framework that should govern the coexistence and competition of political diversity, so it is important that these rules of the game be initially debated by the players themselves, since otherwise, from the outset, the legitimacy of the reform and the parties' commitment to the legislation itself will be weakened.

"A reform cooked up by and for the government would not only break with tradition, but would also consolidate (...) the achieved intention of converting the democratic regime into an authoritarian one," he wrote.

For his part, Leonardo Valdés insisted that it is necessary to debate, reflect, and defend what already exists in terms of democracy and, if possible, expand and strengthen the democratic institutions that "we have worked so hard to build."

Meanwhile, Lorenzo Córdova emphasized that the electoral system we have in Mexico, despite being the result of a modification 11 years ago, is an electoral system that essentially works well, except, he said, for the judicial elections, which were the result of a "poorly executed reform."

“The Mexican electoral system essentially works well. Can it be improved? Undoubtedly, but its essential function is to allow the renewal of public powers to occur periodically and peacefully, according to agreed-upon rules,” he said.

Therefore, he considered that if there is no reform, the electoral system will be fine, as it can hold up well in elections.

Finally, he said that "if the rules of the game arise from dispute (...) these rules will inevitably be a source of problems."

“Counselors, you are neither more nor less”

President Claudia Sheinbaum lashed out at former INE councilors who have criticized her intention to reform the Constitution and electoral laws.

Questioned yesterday about the former councilors' participation in the public debate, the president said they can participate, but their opinions carry the same weight as any other citizen's.

"Of course, they feel superior; they feel they're above the people of Mexico and that their opinion should be considered special. They can participate like anyone else; they're neither more nor less; like anyone else, they can have their own proposals about what should be included in this electoral reform we're proposing," he said.

He particularly criticized Lorenzo Córdova, former president of the INE (National Institute of Statistics and Census), and Luis Carlos Ugalde, former president of the IFE (Federal Institute of Statistics and Census). (Editorial Staff)