AMLO says “he does not want the INE to disappear”…

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Electoral reform. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador accused the National Electoral Institute (INE) of not publishing the positive electoral reform survey results. In addition, López Obrador assured he does not want the INE to disappear, but rather, its corruption. “I do not want the disappearance of the INE. Nevertheless, we want to make the INE a truly democratic institution. For example, yesterday the INE said that it did not share the results of the survey because these were from two months ago and people´s opinions had changed. That kind of lack of transparency is what we want to eliminate.”

The Social Communication Coordination of the INE carried out a survey concerning an electoral reform in which 400 people participated. The results showed that 93 percent support giving fewer economic resources to political parties. In addition, 87 percent support cutting the number of deputies and senators. While 74 percent want to reduce the INE´s, budget since the institution is accused of paying very high salaries to its officials.

The new electoral reform proposes to change 18 articles and insert 7 transitional ones. It seeks to replace the National Electoral Institute (INE), eliminate plurinominal deputies, reduces the number of federal legislators to 300 deputies and 96 senators, while implementing electronic voting, among other changes. Since López Obrador took office in 2018, he has insisted on eradicating corruption at the INE and at the Electoral Tribunal of the Judicial Power of the Federation (TEPJF) and seeks to transform them into true autonomous and democratic institutions. The president said that since the current electoral bodies have failed in their democratic duties, he sent a proposal to Congress to change its members and configuration.

Summit of the Americas. PresidentLópez Obrador proposed a new summit of the Americas, especially now that the US government has a stronger open policy. “I do not rule out there will be a change in US-Cuba relations. I think this time we will reach an immigration agreement.”

López Obrador did not attend the Summit of the Americas because representatives from Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba were not invited, and argued a summit is an event for all countries to attend regardless of their ideology. Previously, experts warned that López Obrador’s refusal to attend the Summit of the Americas would generate more tensions between the two countries and that Mexico could lose the opportunity to strengthen its ties with the US government.  However, during a Mexico-US meeting, both Biden and López Obrador stressed that the relationship between the two countries was excellent and that although there are differences, both nations have decided to have greater cooperation to address key issues.

With information from Gobierno de México

Mexico Daily Post