Mexico City, (EFE).- Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies rejected the electoral reform promoted by President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday, which failed to reach the required qualified majority after a lack of support from legislators in the Labor Party (PT) and the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico (PVEM), both allies of the ruling National Regeneration Movement (Morena).
The initiative received 259 votes in favor, 234 against, and one abstention, falling short of the 334 votes needed in the Chamber of Deputies to approve a constitutional reform. This represents a significant setback for Sheinbaum, despite her party holding a large majority in the Legislative branch.
The initiative proposed ten constitutional changes, which included, among other things, modifying the proportional representation system, cutting electoral funding, and reducing the number of senators.
Sheinbaum’s proposal, dubbed “the decalogue for democracy,” also sought to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in campaigns, expand mechanisms for participatory democracy, establish a prohibition on immediate re-election starting in 2030, and regulate the voting of Mexicans abroad.
The legislative failure, despite the reform being one of the Mexican president’s 100 promises, was attributed to the lack of backing from Morena’s own allies: the PT and PVEM, which formed an electoral coalition with Morena in the historic 2024 elections, which resulted in Sheinbaum being elected as the first woman president.
During the debate on the bill in the deputies’ plenary session, the coordinator for the PT legislators, Reginaldo Sandoval, stated that although his support for President Sheinbaum is unconditional, his party opposes the installation of a new “hegemonic party,” asserting that the PT defends the principle of plurality and diversity.
In his turn, Carlos Alberto Puente, coordinator of the PVEM, maintained that, regarding electoral matters and the life of political parties, conditions must guarantee equality in budget allocation.
Consequently, Morena’s coordinator, Ricardo Monreal, announced that they are preparing a “Plan B,” which involves pushing for changes that do not require constitutional amendments, thus needing only the simple majority his party holds to be approved with the support of other parliamentary groups. EFE
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