The first popular referendum to impeach a president in Mexican history went smoothly when, due to disagreements between electoral and federal officials, only 56,000 polling stations were set up, less than half of those used in the previous electoral process.
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Mexico pushes activation of mandate revocation boxes
While the Mexican government asked the National Electoral Institute (INE) to install the appropriate polling centers, amid ideological controversy between the two parties, the electoral authorities said they could not carry out such a task due to lack of budget.
But citizens must decide whether to revoke the presidential mandate of current leader Andrés Manuel López Obrador or end his six-year tenure at the helm of the nation.
We are participating in the historic democratic exercise taking place across the country today.
Democracy must be a way of life, a habit of Mexicans, so that no one feels absolute. The people are the ones who rule. pic.twitter.com/0JbJrNPXn0
– Andrés Manuel (@lopezobrador_)
April 10, 2022
The Mexican President went to his respective center, where he wrote on the ballot: Long live Zapata! (alluding to the anniversary of the death of the revolutionary hero), as he announced days earlier when he made it clear that he would not take part in the referendum.
López Obrador urged citizens to get involved in the process as he affirmed that “democracy is a way of life” and reiterated that “people contribute and people remove”.
In the first few hours, long queues were observed in Mexico City’s polling centers and in some states of the country, while in others the opening of the polling stations was delayed, while the decline in voting tables was a factor in attendance at this referendum.
Sunday day began with a ceremony to honor the national flag, which took place in the early hours of the morning. The head of the National Electoral Institute (INE), Lorenzo Córdova, said the organization of the consultation had been a success so far.
He added that “citizens were once again willing to participate in polling station bodies, even faster than other voting methods and with percentages we hadn’t seen before.”
unprecedented referendum
Under the premise that “the people rule; people put and people take away,” López Obrador brought up the idea of this consultation, which becomes an evaluation of his management, from his election campaign.
Consultations with the people on key governance issues are part of the work of 4T and AMLO at the head of state, and the referendum figure was approved by Congress and enshrined in the constitution in 2019.
We want to establish democracy as a way of life. Morning press conference, from the National Palace https://t.co/DOxyrflmFi
– Andrés Manuel (@lopezobrador_)
April 6, 2022
This is not the first consultation of this kind, as another was held in August 2021 to examine the leadership of five former presidents for corruption: Carlos Salinas de Gortari (1988-94), Ernesto Zedillo (1994-2000), Vicente Fox ( 2000-2006), Felipe Calderón (2006-2012) and Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-2018). The referendum elicited 8 percent turnout.
question of the current consultation
Voters receive a ballot that asks them the following question: “Do you agree that Andrés Manuel López Obrador, President of the United Mexican States, be relieved of his mandate for lack of confidence or that he remain President of the Republic? until the end of your term over?
They are faced with two possible answers: revocation of the mandate due to a loss of confidence or remaining in the presidency of the republic.
establishment of polling stations
The INE ordered the approval of 57,517 polling booths across the country’s 32 federal entities, operating between 08:00 and 18:00 local time.
Of these, 300 are of a special type and enable people passing through to vote far away from their usual constituencies.
In order to be able to vote, citizens must be registered on the electoral roll, their political rights must not be suspended and they must vote at the polling station assigned to them by the INE.
Media outlets announced that more than 17,000 Mexicans living abroad have registered to participate, which they can do through the online voting system.
A total of 287,000 citizens prepared to receive and count the votes at the polling stations while some 4,400 people will watch the day, including 98 foreign visitors accredited by the INE.
counting and results
After the elections are completed, the voting material is taken to the INE’s 300 district councils, where the counting of the votes begins.
Likewise, the electoral authority plans to activate a rapid counting system that will provide an estimate of citizen turnout from a sample of 1,800 polling stations.
According to INE, the results of the rapid count could be released from 9:00 p.m. local time during a meeting of the Institute’s General Council, while the final results will be announced this Monday, April 11.
Participation required
According to the regulations, at least 40 percent of those entitled to vote, i.e. 37.1 million votes, are required for a valid and binding vote.
Polls conducted over the past few weeks give AMLO popularity ratings ranging from 58 to 60 percent, even higher.
However, the president assured that he would keep his job at the head of the executive branch if the majority of those who participate, even if it does not reach 40 percent, decide to revoke it.
At the center of the controversy
The Mexican government has asked the INE to install 160,000 polling booths, as required by federal law on the issue, so that they can seat smaller numbers of citizens and encourage popular participation in the consultation.
However, for the day, the electoral commission has only released 35.9 percent of that number, claiming it has no budget.
Local media announced that, for example, in the city of Tepetitán, in the state of Tabasco (south), where López Obrador was born, there will be no voting booths, whose residents will have to move to other places to pay.
On several occasions, AMLO reminded INE directors and officials that the state is rational with its spending and that this agency can do more by restructuring their budget and removing privileges they enjoy.
On the other hand, the executive branch and the ruling party, the National Renewal Movement (Morena), drew attention to the fact that the INE set up a similar number of polling stations in this referendum as in August 2021, in which they had organized it at a lower cost than those used for the current ones were requested.