In a historic vote, the Mexican Senate passed a bill that would let the government seize private property without due process.
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Mexico’s Senate passed a bill designed to curtail the power of the National Electoral Institute, which will have negative consequences for democracy in Mexico. Mexico takes another step toward its authoritarian past Valerie Wirtschafter and Arturo Sarukhan Thursday, March 16, 2023 Order from Chaos Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Print SMS Email More Reddit As Mexico’s Senate celebrated the passage of a bill designed to curb the power of the National Electoral Institute (INE), the non-partisan and independent agency that oversees elections, the country took another step backward toward its decades -long authoritarian past. Despite corruption , violence , and inequality , Mexico has functioned as an electoral democracy for nearly three decades — with political competition and a vibrant civil society. Much of that success is due to the INE. Valerie Wirtschafter Senior Data Analyst - Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative Twitter vwirtschafter Arturo Sarukhan Nonresident Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy , Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology , Latin America Initiative Former Ambassador of Mexico to the United States Twitter @Arturo_Sarukhan Under President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a pugnacious and charismatic leader who swept to power in 2018, Mexico’s independent institutions are slowly losing their ability to serve as a counterweight to the executive. The latest attack on the INE may be López Obrador’s most brazen of all. Yet, the U.S. government has cautiously maneuvered to avoid losing Mexico’s cooperation on vital domestic issues, particularly immigration along the southern border. However, failing to speak out emphatically against Mexico’s steady march back toward authoritarianism —
