The third vice president of Congress and congressman Ilich López announced that he will present a constitutional accusation against members of the National Election Jury (JNE)after the electoral body will leave Popular Action out of the 2026 Elections. According to him, the decision adopted violates constitutional principles and directly affects the right of citizens to choose and be elected.
López specified that the constitutional complaint will be directed specifically against Roberto Burneorepresentative of the Judiciary before the National Election Jury. “This is going to enter the Subcommittee on Constitutional Accusations regarding Mr. Burneo, because he is a member of the JNE representative of the Judiciary,” he noted.
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The parliamentarian explained that, in addition to this route, complaints will be filed in other instances against the other members of the JNE who participated in the resolution. “The other complaints will go to the relevant authorities against the other members who have made this disastrous decision,” he indicated.
For Ilich Lopezwhat happened not only harms Popular Actionbut rather sets a negative precedent for the democratic system. In his opinion, the exclusion of the party from the process towards the Elections 2026 reflects an arbitrary action by the highest electoral entity.
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Constitutional accusation against the JNE: Roberto Burneo at the center of Ilich López’s complaint
The congressman stressed that the constitutional accusation is based on the functional condition of Roberto Burneo. “Mr. Burneo is a member of the JNE representing the Judiciaryis the supreme member and understands this article of the Constitution,” he explained.
López explained that the events would constitute crimes such as abuse of authority and malfeasance, in addition to a constitutional infraction for violating due process and the right to political participation. “They have attacked the right to choose and be elected,” he said.
As background, he recalled the case of the former president of the JNE, Jorge Salas Arenas. “There is a precedent for Mr. Salas Arenas, who was admitted to a constitutional complaint filed by a fellow congresswoman,” he indicated, maintaining that there are grounds for the Congress admit the new process.
Electoral deadlines under debate after the JNE decision
One of the main arguments used to justify the resolution of the JNE has been respect for electoral deadlines. Faced with this, Ilich Lopez He maintained that the calendar cannot be above the Constitution or due process.
“He JNE “It has to be resolved according to the law and according to the law it means respecting due process,” stated the congressman. As he explained, if the resolution had complied with these standards, there would be no legal or political question.
The parliamentarian was emphatic in pointing out that deadlines cannot serve as an excuse. “Regardless of whether there are deadlines or no deadlines, the Constitution“, he maintained, warning that any decision that violates this principle is exposed to being processed in the corresponding instances.
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Ilich López, between complaints of fraud and audios under question
During the press conference, Lopez He was consulted about a complaint published in the media that linked him to alleged offers of positions in exchange for political support. The parliamentarian rejected the accusations and denied any link with Cinthia Pajuelopresident of the party’s electoral committee, whose name is linked to the complaints from the internal process of Acción Popular in addition to being identified as the alleged author of an audio in which she offered a position in López’s office to a militant in exchange for convincing his wife to give up her election as a delegate.
“I have no relationship with the aforementioned lady. All my actions in the Congress “They have been transparent,” said López, when questioning the veracity of the accusations. He added that he cannot be held responsible for “delusional ideas of people who do not understand the value of democracy,” in reference to those who—as he said—seek to discredit his political actions.
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When asked if he expected the JNE to ignore the allegations of fraud, López responded that the electoral body had the obligation to resolve in accordance with the law. “He has the JNE “To resolve in accordance with the law and in accordance with the law is to respect due process,” he said, adding that the problem does not lie in the existence of questions, but rather in the fact that the decision adopted “did not have all the elements of judgment to respect due process.”
Along these lines, he ruled out that his position seeks to favor personal interests or candidates for re-election and reiterated that his defense points – as he maintained – to an institutional position against the exclusion of Popular Action of the elections 2026.
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Why has Popular Action been left out of the 2026 Elections?
Popular Action was left out of elections 2026 after resolutions of the JNE who declared their internal election process invalid, considering that it did not comply with current electoral regulations.
The arguments included allegations of fraud, questions about the legitimacy of the elections and the dissemination of audios that compromised actors in the party process. These elements led the electoral body to adopt a final decision.
However, from the party, with the faction that supports the election of Alfredo Barnecheaand from Congress, Ilich Lopez It is maintained that the exclusion occurred without respecting due process. “The Lord Burneo “He has violated the Constitution and therefore he will be prosecuted before the corresponding authorities for that offense,” said the parliamentarian.
