Tens of Thousands Protest Mexico President’s Left-Wing Election Overhaul

Critics say reforms would centralize control under Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

WFB:

MEXICO CITY (Reuters)—Tens of thousands took to the streets in Mexico on Sunday to protest President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s plan to overhaul the country’s electoral commission INE in what they fear would concentrate power in the hands of the government.

Lopez Obrador, who put the plan forward in April, has long criticized the country’s electoral authorities, including accusing them of helping to engineer his defeats when he ran for the presidency in 2006 and 2012.

He has said that the reform would let citizens elect electoral authorities and reduce the influence of economic interests in politics. It would also cut financing for political parties and limit advertising time.

Last week, Congress started discussing the plan.

It sparked widespread concerns that the changes could presage a power grab because it gives the president more control over the electoral systems. more