Fabiola Martinez
Newspaper La Jornada
Friday, October 28, 2022, p. 6
Political communication in Mexico is increasingly violent and with less empathy towards the needs and rights of citizens, warned Gabriela Villafuerte, magistrate of the specialized chamber of the Electoral Court of the Judicial Power of the Federation (TEPJF), an instance that sanctions offenses in this stuff.
Regarding the infractions of public servants, he said that there exists a huge space of impunity
(this room cannot apply sanctions, only give view
to the official’s higher authority).
Now that an electoral reform is being analyzed, he added, it is a good time to address the point, as well as what is related to alleged campaign advances.
It would be interesting now that we are in that if the electoral reform [procede o no], it has to be really strengthened and established to what extent the parties can act, what they can do; well, the 134 [constitucional, relativo a los funcionarios] exists in the letter [pero] in the material it is a dead letter
lament.
He also alluded to the relevance of updating the law in terms of anticipated campaign acts, because although one works with what one has (without being able to sanction), there are many complaints of mega uncertain acts of accomplishment
that is to say, presumed anticipated acts of campaign of personages of different parties.
Regarding the dynamics of communication, he indicated: We are seeing a political communication that perhaps does not meet the objectives because it is violent, because it is increasingly with more accusations, more violence, with less awareness, with less empathy towards providing voters with what they need to know their political actors.
.
During a table organized by the Electoral Judicial School, he pointed out that there are more and more cases of alleged political violence based on gender and slander, among others, but with a preponderance in other means of dissemination, rather than in traditional propaganda.
Hence, the challenges for the judges are the analysis of social networks, actions of public servants, anonymity, platforms, influencers, among others.
I see the sacrifice of the collective for the sake of freedom of expression, many times I also see the weakening of political communication and this drives away (citizen) participation and, without a doubt, of democracy.
he pointed out.
Carlos Ferrer, head of the Contentious Technical Unit of the National Electoral Institute (INE), responsible for the initial analysis of the spots, referred to the resolution this week by the INE Complaints Commission, for the withdrawal of a PAN advertisement for consider it an early campaign act, for alluding to the 2024 contest.
