“Impertinence” of the INE, asking about political-electoral rights, advisers warn

Fabiola Martinez

Newspaper La Jornada
Friday, November 4, 2022, p. 8

Uuc-kib Espadas Ancona, adviser to the National Electoral Institute (INE), said that it was impertinent include in the survey on the scope of a possible electoral reform, prepared at the request of the agency, questions such as the one related to the election by popular vote of councilors and magistrates.

I am no stranger to demoscopy, and there are things about which it is impertinent to consult the majorityHe commented in an interview. He gave an example when the Green Party commissioned polls in its bid to restore the country’s death penalty.

In this case, it seems to me exactly the same: the national coordination of communication (of the INE) should not have endorsed that several things were asked, as was done, because they have to do with political and electoral rights, which in no way can be subjected to a majority of opinion, except when it is measured in a surveyhe pointed.

Like some of his colleagues at the INE, Espadas Ancona rejected Morena’s accusations that there was a deliberate concealment of the study; he said that the fact that this party I discovered it yesterday it does not mean the unavailability of the document.

Public information from the INE shows that the Second conjunctural telephone survey. Electoral reform initiative and evaluation of the National Electoral Institute” was prepared by the company BGC Ulises Betrán & Asoc.

The INE/030/2022 contract, which expires on December 31, was requested and administered by the communication coordination; It foresees a payment of 553 thousand 88 pesos for surveying in housing and 445 thousand 440 for telephone surveying. For this matter, 400 citizens were interviewed by telephone.

In its report, BGC points out that the majority of those consulted –including the intersection with different partisan identities– would be in favor of electoral councilors and magistrates being directly elected by the citizens, as proposed by the reform initiative promoted by President López Obrador.

Counselor Dania Ravel considered this survey unnecessary, not only because its results can be erroneously taken as input for legislative work, but also because there are issues not subject to popular consultation, such as human rights and national security and electoral issues. It seems to me that it is unnecessary, especially since the results are being misrepresented.

In turn, his counterpart Roberto Ruiz Saldaña expressed his disagreement with the proposal to elect councilors and magistrates. I would only rescue the Executive’s proposal to reduce the number of councils and councillors, because they are served with the big spoonhe pointed.

the day Yesterday, he requested interviews with most of the INE’s advisers, but until evening there was no response from some, including the president adviser, Lorenzo Córdova.