Operation of 12 state institutes, at risk due to cuts: INE

Fabiola Martinez

Newspaper La Jornada
Sunday June 5, 2022, p. 7

Twelve state electoral institutes are at high or moderate risk of operation due to sizable budget cuts and due to late or incomplete provision of resources, warned the National Electoral Institute (INE).

In its most recent report on the matter, it warned especially about the cases of the electoral institutes of Mexico City and Colima, affected by cuts of 50 and 65 percent, respectively, compared to the amount requested, which – it is noted – puts your life at risk.

It is necessary to recognize that in order to maintain the high standards of quality and reliability in the elections, the Local Public Electoral Organizations (Oples) must have a minimum budget and this must be met in a timely manner.pointed out the counselor of the INE, Dania Ravel, president of the Commission for Liaison with the Oples.

The entities with high risk are Durango (with an ongoing electoral process), Mexico City, Campeche, Colima, Morelos and Nayarit. Meanwhile, with moderate risk, Hidalgo, Quintana Roo and Tamaulipas (the three with ongoing process), as well as Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas.

Half of these entities challenged the budget assigned to them, but they have a total of 17 appeals on record, for different reasons, of which six are pending resolution, including the agency in the country’s capital.

An emblematic case is Colima, with a 65 percent reduction in its budget; First, he went to the state electoral court, which resolved that the local Congress should issue, in a maximum of 15 days, a well-founded and motivated determination, and the plenary ended up ratifying the cut.

Then it was before the superior chamber of the Electoral Court of the Federation, which dismissed the matter for extemporaneity.

Therefore, Ravel added, today the Colima OPLE is at risk of not being able to operate.

Regarding the case of CDMX, he stressed that this OPLE has a situation highly complex in budget terms.

In addition to this, last week a reform was approved to eliminate five technical units. The suppression of neuralgic areas in the CDMX Electoral Institute is not minor, it implies a drastic adjustment to its structure and organization that will impact the transfer of functions to other areas, without a substantive analysis having been carried outhe added.