Victor Ballinas
Newspaper La Jornada
Wednesday, February 9, 2022, p. 4
Participating in the Political Reform in the Fourth Transformation forum organized by senators from Morena, the president of the National Electoral Institute (INE), Lorenzo Córdova, assured that the Mexican electoral system it is strong, robust and guarantees a successful federal election in 2024
. He stressed that, if there is no reform, If for some reason the necessary consensus to have an electoral reform is not achieved, we are going to go to the 2024 election with a strong electoral system, it can be improved without a doubt
.
The rules of the game must be by consensus
He asserted that an electoral reform must be the product of a broad, deep and most inclusive discussion. In his speech, he stressed that the rules of the democratic game must have the widest possible consensus, but if the temptation to apply a mere majority falls, even if the reform is the best reform in our history, there may be a problem in the future. We have already experienced it, when the rules are not the product of consensus, there will always be someone who will feel hurt and who will accuse that the rules were not fair
.
The president counselor of the INE specified that if the reform is going to harm the fairness of the contests, if it is going to undermine the quality of democracy, if it is going to reduce the guarantees of free voting, if it is going to cause us not to have certain and reliable elections, and if it harms the autonomy and independence of electoral authorities, it is not worth
.
In the old mansion of Xicoténcatl, where the forum was organized, Córdova proposed six axes for an electoral reform, which maximizes proportional representation, eliminates the over-representation of 8 percent, eliminates 100 deputies -majority-, we have 400 instead of 500 deputies, but that 200 are proportional representation
which contemplates the election of three senators for each of the 32 federal entities and foresees a reduction in the public financing of political parties”, but the reduction it must not be by machete
.
Decisions from subjectivity
The general secretary of Morena, Citlalli Hernández, invited to the forum, stated before the president of the INE: We see an INE kidnapped by the directors, who make decisions from their political subjectivity, who have set aside this capacity that they undoubtedly have and that clarity of generating neutral and impartial spaces, they have taken positions against citizen participation processes for thinking or take a position against the President of the Republic, against Morena and against the Fourth Transformation project and this does not harm the 4T project or the President, that harms the citizens, democracy, it stops it, the prevents, weakens
.
The morenista leader pointed out that due to the times that are being lived, due to the great interest of the citizens to participate actively, it is necessary that the councilors Lorenzo Córdova and Ciro Murayama are at the height of democracy and the moment that the people demand.
In his speech, Córdova responded to Hernández: With respect, the INE is not in the hands of anyone, because the INE is not me and Ciro Murayama, here we voted 11 and many of the decisions are intentionally personalized. The decisions, for example in the voting booths, in the revocation of the mandate were unanimous and the internal discussion is tough. But we voted 11, not one or two
.
Córdova recognized that voting by electronic ballot box would lower the cost of elections.
