The TEPJF approves the creation of a catalogue of guidelines on electoral violations

Lilian Hernandez Osorio

The newspaper La Jornada
Monday, August 26, 2024, p. 10

Six months late, the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judicial Branch (TEPJF) approved by majority vote a general agreement to issue guidelines regarding the integration and operation of a catalog of firm and definitive sentences, in order to have an accurate record of the infractions committed by public servants, although this initiative will not be put into practice until a new electoral process is held.

Despite the fact that on February 28 the plenary session of the Superior Court ordered the creation of the corresponding document, the magistrates failed to have it ready for the elections that concluded last Friday with the assignment of plurinominal legislators.

However, through this agreement it is established that the catalogue will be a tool to prove the irregularities that may impact the conditions of validity of the elections and so that the authorities can review what is appropriate when analyzing it.

The catalogue will systematize the consultation of resolutions and final sentences of the six chambers of the TEPJF on violations committed by public servants in the pre-campaign and electoral campaign periodas well as those that affect the conditions of equity in the contest and those that affect the principle of neutrality of the State and its organs.

Final judgments arising from this will also be included. special sanctioning procedures, ordinary procedures, oversight procedures, appeal for review of the special sanctioning procedure and electoral trial.

This means that the resolutions of the higher court, such as those determining the interference of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, governors or officials of the federal government cabinet in the recent elections, will be included in said catalogue.

Maximum transparency, one of the objectives

The agreement must be published in the Official Journal of the Federationwhich establishes that said catalogue will be systematized in an Internet portal, so that citizens can consult it, in accordance with the provisions of the principles of maximum publicity, truthfulness and timeliness.

According to the guidelines, the units of statistics and jurisdictional information and links with the regional chambers of the general secretariat of agreements of the superior chamber will be responsible for verify proper registration in the single format.

The sentence must be registered within a maximum of five business days after it has become final, in addition to complying with a clear and civic language.

The name of the offender, gender, position or function held at the time of committing the offence will also be made public. The municipality or entity where the irregularity occurred will also be noted, as well as the number or key of the file of the final resolution.

Likewise, the conduct or violation, the subject matter, date of the events and the date of the sentence must be made public.

In turn, the regional chambers will have a period of no more than three calendar days to communicate the approved resolution.