Deputies suspend the process for the election of new INE directors

The Political Coordination Board (JCP) of the Chamber of Deputies agreed to suspend the process for the election of four directors of the National Electoral Institute (INE) until the plenary chamber modifies the corresponding call, in compliance with the ruling of the Electoral Tribunal of Power Judiciary of the Federation (TEPJF), which will happen in the next period of regular sessions that will begin on February 1.

On December 24, in an extraordinary session, the highest electoral court ordered the lower house to adjust the call in order to specify that the president of the INE and three electoral advisors will be elected; incorporate gender equity criteria in the quintets of candidates presented to the PCB and guarantee full autonomy to the Technical Evaluation Committee responsible for the appointment of the quintets.

Ignacio Mier Velazco, president of the JCP and coordinator of the parliamentary group of Morena in the Chamber of Deputies, reported that the unanimous agreement was to suspend the elective process of electoral advisers until the call is modified, a decision that will correspond to the plenary chamber.

The parliamentary coordinators agreed that it does not make sense to designate the members of the Technical Evaluation Committee and start the registration of candidates for directors, as planned, while the terms of the call are not certain.

“It will be the plenary session of the Chamber that determines (the terms of the call), once the regular session begins. Meanwhile, all the stages considered both in the call and in the process of integration of the Technical Committee are suspended,” said Mier Velazco.

He assured that the federal deputies have time to elect four new electoral advisers before next April 3, when the current ones will conclude their mandate, since the appointment process takes an average of between 42 and 46 days, and there will be 58 days to do it.

Among the members of the JCP there is a coincidence in the sense that, if the call to elect INE directors is not in force, it makes no sense to discuss the Technical Committee, which would not have work material until the plenary chamber issues the new call .

“So, prudence entered and it is a good agreement. We have time to organize the issue, last time (in 2020, when there was an election for electoral advisers) it was done with a similar period of time; there is no rush,” said Jorge Álvarez Máynez, coordinator of the parliamentary group of the Movimiento Ciudadano (MC) party.

rolando.ramos@eleconomista.mx