Without pluralism in committee, electoral setback: NGO

The Electoral Laboratory organization warned that the formation of the Presidential Commission for Electoral Reform without diverse voices or expert technical profiles could reverse years of learning and progress in the Mexican electoral system, while also running the risk that the final proposal, drafted by a closed group of public servants close to the current government, would not be favorable to the public.

"The risk of a reform driven without consensus, and without the support of civil society, is the lack of the legitimacy necessary to maintain confidence in the system (...) These proposals, and at least the one that is perceived from the voice of the president and members of the Commission, generate, for now, a climate of distrust in the face of the largest elections in the political history of the country in 2030, given that to the traditional political affections, must be added the effort that will represent for the first time the concurrence of judicial elections in the entire country," it states in a recent analysis.

It was said that attempting to centralize the reform process in the Executive Branch by creating a Commission from within the government, with similar profiles and little or no experience in electoral matters, even if it is a legal act, has political motivations, dating back to the previous six-year term, and that it moves away from consensus, since for a reform of such magnitude, the natural arena for political debate would have to be the legislative branch, with the participation of all represented political forces, seeking consensus.

"The justification lies in the narrative itself. It's not the need to correct a systemic failure or resolve a crisis affecting the electoral dynamic, but rather the popular validation of a political project in which there is no room for opposition or dissent. The central argument is that the reform is necessary to be consistent with the current political situation and to fulfill a supposed 'programmatic mandate expressed by the majority of the people,'" he emphasized.

Defects

Furthermore, it was noted that one of the main flaws is the composition of the Commission, which is comprised of individuals close to the Executive Branch and, with a few exceptions, without experience in electoral matters. This "could turn the effort into a sham, as it creates a facade of openness to expert voices, whether dissenting or not, while shielding the government commission from control of the agenda, public debate, studies, and the final decision."

Finally, the Electoral Laboratory considered that the outlook is not promising for the democratic progress needed in the country, and that the reform resembles the construction of the recent judicial reform, characterized by haste, serious technical errors, omissions, and permissiveness of malpractice, as well as the arrival of individuals linked to criminal and/or religious groups that favor consensus and pluralism.

"The wording of this decree ignores the importance of clear, equitable, and technically sound rules. Reality forces us to believe that this could end up being a unilateral project in which civil society and other political forces will fall short in their attempt to shift the debate toward an arena of consensus that would provide stability, certainty, and legitimacy to the electoral system," he said.