Mexico Approves Controversial Electoral Reform

The Mexico Senate has approved a reform of the electoral system, which the president says will save money and decrease political advantages, but opponents worry it will undermine democracy.

The controversial revamp of the organization handling the country's elections was approved by a vote of 72 to 50 on Wednesday by MPs.

As soon as the modifications were announced, critics pledged to challenge them in court. Protests are scheduled in several places on Sunday, Al Jazeera noted.

The National Electoral Institute (INE) would reduce its funding, lay off workers, and close offices because of the reforms.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador still needs to enact the move to decrease the institute's size and limit its monitoring and sanctioning powers. However, given his support for the measure, this is considered a mere formality.

New Mexico Elections Law Sparks Debate

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's decision to reduce election spending was criticized as an assault on democracy by Mexico's elections commissioner on Thursday; the leftist leader dismissed the criticism as elitist, AP reports.

Even though he anticipates legal challenges, López Obrador indicated on Thursday that he would sign the reforms into law.

By reducing financing for the electoral body and weakening regulation of campaign spending, the new law passed late Wednesday will reduce voter turnout.

The organization is too expensive, and money would be better used to help the underprivileged, according to the president.

The revisions have sparked heated debate, with critics vowing legal action and organizing protests in other cities.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has started calling them racist and classist people who defend corruption.

"The march is to defend their privileges, they are protesting because don't want to help the poor," López Obrador said earlier this week.

The National Electoral Institute's director, Lorenzo Cordova, has expressed concern that the proposed changes could compromise the integrity of future elections because they want to cut thousands of individuals who work daily to ensure trustworthy elections.

If passed, the proposed law would reduce the pay of election workers, the resources available to local election offices, and the education of those responsible for running and supervising the polls.

In addition, penalties for candidates who fail to disclose campaign funds would be loosened.

The insults being thrown around the topic "aid and assist the authoritarian impulses floating around," Cordova warned in a newspaper piece published on Thursday.

"The virulent discourse being used by some could poison democracy itself," Cordova wrote.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Has Been Pushing the New Mexico Elections Law Since 2018

After two unsuccessful efforts, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was finally elected in July of 2018 and has been a vocal critic of the INE, the government agency responsible for overseeing elections.

He criticized the impartial organization last month, alleging that it cheated and that its personnel had covered up "the stuffing of ballot boxes, falsification of [election] records, and vote buying."

"Let them go cheat somewhere else, they just want to keep stealing [votes]," he said.

Lopez Obrador has advocated for INE reform since his election victory in 2018, per BBC.

He claims the reform will save taxpayers $150 million annually by significantly decreasing the agency's employees.

The reform he recommended that Congress ultimately rejected has been dwindled in the measure that passed on Wednesday.

The opposition legislators are up in arms because they believe the updated version, "Plan B," is a step backward for Mexico's democratic institutions while being less extreme than the initial proposal.

Legal challenges are also being filed against the policy, with the chairman of the INE stating his intention to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Mexico protests: Thousands oppose electoral reform plan - From Al Jazeera English