Mexico’s Electoral Institute Awards Morena Party Supermajority, Sparking Controversy
Mexico’s electoral institute grants the Morena party and its allies 73% of seats in Congress despite winning less than 60% of the vote, sparking legal challenges and criticism over potential constitutional changes.
Mexico, Bollywood Fever: Mexico’s electoral institute voted on Friday to allocate approximately 73% of the seats in the lower house of Congress to the governing Morena party and its allies, despite the coalition securing less than 60% of the votes in the June 2 elections.
This controversial decision, which can still be challenged in court, would give the governing coalition the two-thirds majority needed in the Chamber of Deputies to approve constitutional changes.
If upheld, the ruling would grant Morena and its allies around 364 seats in the 500-seat legislative body, a significant advantage that critics argue exceeds the coalition’s actual electoral mandate.
The decision has prompted concerns that Morena would wield more power in Congress than it rightfully won at the polls.
The dispute centers on a law designed to assign some congressional seats based on proportional representation, ensuring smaller parties have representation even if they don’t win individual district races.
However, the law also stipulates that proportional seats cannot be used to give any party a majority in Congress.
Morena appears to have circumvented this rule by “lending” some of its winning candidates to smaller allied parties, which are not bound by the no-majority rule but consistently vote in alignment with Morena.
The electoral institute’s governing council ruled that proportional representation rules apply only to individual parties, without considering the effect on the broader majority coalition.
While Morena and its allies did not secure a two-thirds majority in the Senate, they fell just two or three seats short.
This opens the possibility that the coalition could gain the necessary votes from smaller parties to push through constitutional changes.
Outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, have both pledged to use the two-thirds majority to pursue 20 constitutional amendments.
These include a proposal to require all judges to run for election, a move that critics warn would compromise judicial independence and further consolidate power within the governing party.
The proposed constitutional changes have raised alarms among investors, financial institutions, and international observers.
Morgan Stanley downgraded its investment recommendation for Mexico, citing increased risk, while Citibanamex warned that the proposals could lead to the “cancellation of liberal democracy.”
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar also expressed concern, stating that the proposed changes threaten both Mexico’s democracy and its historic commercial relationship with the United States.
The controversy has also sparked unrest within Mexico’s judicial system. Federal courts have been largely shut down by a court employee strike that began on Monday in protest against the judicial proposal, with judges and magistrates joining the walkout on Wednesday.
Among other proposed constitutional amendments, Morena is advocating for the elimination of Mexico’s independent oversight and regulatory bodies, arguing that they are a waste of resources.
The party proposes transferring oversight responsibilities to government departments, effectively allowing them to regulate themselves.
President López Obrador, who leaves office on September 30, has faced numerous legal challenges to his infrastructure projects, including railways and oil refineries, due to environmental and regulatory concerns.
By changing the constitution, Morena aims to remove these obstacles and facilitate the continuation of López Obrador’s policies under Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first female president-elect.
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