MEXICO CITY — The Mexican political party “Somos” has announced its intention to file a lawsuit against President Claudia Sheinbaum and Anti-Corruption Secretary Raquel Buenrostro, alleging moral damage and defamation.

The legal action follows a growing political firestorm surrounding a massive corruption scandal at the National Electoral Institute (INE). The party accuses the head of the executive branch of attempting to deflect responsibility and identify “scapegoats” to manage the fallout of the scandal, which has severely damaged the credibility of Mexico’s primary electoral body.

The controversy erupted following investigative reports by Latinus and Reforma, which uncovered a systemic corruption scheme involving high-ranking INE officials and private contractors. The scale of the revelations forced the resignation of former INE head Guadalupe Taddei, who is currently under federal investigation.

In the wake of the scandal, President Sheinbaum has repeatedly sought to distance the current administration and her party, Morena, from Taddei. To do so, she has pointed toward various figures from the past, including former official Lorenzo Córdova and former president Carlos Salinas de Gortari.

Most recently, during a press conference, Sheinbaum suggested that contractors linked to the corruption scheme had previously worked with individuals associated with the “Somos” party. She further accused Córdova of “constituting an electoral mafia.”

In an official statement, the “Somos” party condemned the “profound and painful decomposition” of the INE, labeling it one of the darkest scandals in the institution’s 37-year history. The party characterized the crisis as a result of “greed, illicit enrichment, and criminal collusion” by high-ranking officials.

“The President has chosen the path of irresponsibility and division,” the statement read, accusing Sheinbaum of creating a “groundless” narrative to involve “Somos” in a plot dating back a quarter of a century.

Beyond the legal threats, the party issued a three-part call to action:

• Opposition Unity: “Somos” is calling on all opposition political forces to establish a working table to safeguard the remainder of the electoral process.
• Transparency: The party urged the Chamber of Deputies to conduct a rigorous and transparent process to select the committee that will choose the next presidency of the INE.
• Citizen Mobilization: The organization is calling for a wide-scale public mobilization to defend the integrity of the vote and reconstruct a trustworthy, citizen-led electoral arbiter in Mexico.