INE orders the Presidency to withdraw statements by AMLO in the morning on voting for the opposition

The Complaints and Complaints Commission of the National Electoral Institute (INE) ordered the Presidency of the Republic to remove fragments of the morning conference on March 27 where the president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador He urged not to vote for opposition parties, considering that they violate the principle of equity of the electoral processes underway in Coahuila and the State of Mexico.

It determined that said statements incur in an alleged violation of the principle of equity in local electoral processes, for which reason it ordered the Presidency to eliminate said statements from the audio, audiovisual and/or stenographic versions, as well as from any other electronic platform under their domain, control or administration.

It should be noted that at said conference, López Obrador expressly requested: “not to vote for the conservative bloc to continue the transformation, not a vote for the conservatives, yes to the transformation.”

The precautionary measure before the INE was requested by the PRD and the PAN Senator, Kenya Lopez Rabadanwho accused the alleged improper use of public resources -by the head of the Executive Branch- and the violation of the principle of equity in the contest, to the detriment of the local electoral processes that are currently under development in Coahuila and the State of Mexico, as well as the next Federal Electoral Process 2023-2024 and local elections.

The directors of said Commission, Adriana Favela, Claudia Zavala y Ciro Murayamaunanimously determined that the statements of the federal president can violate the principle of equity in the electoral contest of the electoral processes in Coahuila and Edomex, since there is affectation to the principle of impartiality that as public servants, in the exercise of the functions of the position entrusted, they should not pronounce themselves or make calls to vote for or against any candidate or political party, carrying out proselytizing acts.

The referee stressed that the President of the Republic has a special duty of care regarding the expressions he issues and that may result in an affectation of the principles of impartiality and neutrality.

However, the counselors that make up the Complaints Commission denied the PRD to the PAN senator to order the President of the Republic to refrain from making other similar statements, since said request deals with future events of uncertain realization.

Regarding the probable improper use of public resources, he indicated that it is an issue that must be analyzed and resolved by the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary.

jorge.monroy@eleconomista.mx