The Foreign Visitors Mission (MVE) of the Organization of American States (OAS) presented its preliminary report on the Mandate Revocation consultation that took place on April 10, where it reiterated its concern about the smear campaign and attacks that were carried out against the National Electoral Institute (INE).
The OAS considered that the INE has been characterized by its strength in the administration of the elections, as well as for having a robust electoral justice system and as an autonomous and specialized authority in its field.
“The Mission reiterates what was stated in 2021 about the importance of safeguarding the independence of the electoral authority and avoiding undue pressure that could condition the exercise of its functions. The Mexican political system and society as a whole benefit from having solid, professional and impartial electoral institutions,” the document reads.
On the other hand, in the face of a possible political-electoral reform promoted by the head of the federal Executive, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, he recommends not subtracting autonomy or technical capacity.
“Although any electoral system can be improved, the Mission considers that the reforms that are introduced should aim to strengthen the body and not to reduce its autonomy or technical capacity, which would mean a significant setback for Mexican democracy,” he explained.
recommendations
Likewise, in the section on findings and recommendations of the preliminary report, the Mission indicated that the legislation and procedures applicable to future Mandate Revocation exercises must be reviewed to avoid a repetition of the regulatory problems that affected this first exercise to federal level.
“This report details specific recommendations for various matters contemplated in the law, among which the following stand out: the threshold for activation, the tools for collecting signatures, the wording of the question, the restrictions on the participation of political actors, the model of diffusion, the control of the financing, among others”.