In the budget proposal for 2023, “nothing fancy”: INE

Fabiola Martinez

Newspaper La Jornada
Sunday June 26, 2022, p. 6

In preparing its budget for the coming year, the National Electoral Institute (INE) makes it clear that although the economic situation caused by the pandemic will be taken into account, the resource must be guaranteed so that the body complies with all its powers. and responsibilities.

For the current year, the INE had 19 thousand 644 million pesos, an item that includes just over 5 thousand million for political parties, so that for its operation it had about 14 thousand million pesos, 4 thousand 913 less than your original request.

This cut was the reason for an appeal before the Supreme Court of Justice, which ordered the Chamber of Deputies to support the reasons for the decrease or, otherwise, return the corresponding amount to the electoral arbitrator.

The above element is taken into account by Claudia Zavala, president of the special commission to prepare the 2023 budget project, considering that the Court set a positive precedent for the dependencies, especially for the autonomous organizations.

Careful not to give a figure, at least tentative, of what they are going to ask for by 2023, she points out that it should be enough for the INE to fulfill its obligations: organize elections (it will collaborate in the local elections of Coahuila and the state of Mexico ), open the federal process 2023-2024 (including the presidential succession) and ensure the change of power in peace.

(The budget) is a worthwhile investment because it has allowed us to pass power and we have done it in peaceful conditions.he said in an interview.

And when asked if they plan to develop a project based on austerity, as proposed by President López Obrador in the initiative for constitutional reform in electoral matters, which seeks to reduce spending in this entire sector by at least 30 thousand million pesos, the counselor answers that in the institute there have always been savings and asserted that there are no luxuries.

For now, he rules out the idea of ​​cutting wages or benefits for the 18,000 INE workers because these are, he stressed, labor rights protected by law and the Constitution.

However, in the calculation, he said, they will have to weigh the inflationary development.

-What do you respond to comments that democracy is very expensive in Mexico and that wages should be cut, for example? (INE directors have a gross salary of 234 thousand pesos per month).

–Everything that has to do with the remuneration of public servants has constitutional rules –he answered.

We are an authority that does not have greater benefits (except) those allowed by lawcomments when pointing out that the only extra for the directors is the provision of a vehicle and payment for gasoline, and believes that nobody makes use of other benefits, such as food expenses.

We don’t have anything fancy on planes or hotels or anything. (Per diems) are fair, rational amounts, so that there are no luxurieshe indicated.

In addition, he asked politicians not to use the INE to campaign.

Meanwhile, the Electoral Court of the Judicial Power of the Federation has a budget for this year close to 3 billion pesos and is also preparing its project, as well as a plan for rational spending.