Thousands of Mexicans packed the Zócalo in Mexico City this Sunday to protest against the electoral reforms of Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s government. From start to finish, one of the largest public squares in Latin America hosted civil society organizations and opposition politicians who decided to challenge the President before the changes in electoral laws envisaged in the so-called “Plan B” and which limit the functions of the National Electoral Institute (INE ), the independent organization that organizes elections in Mexico. This was the second opposition rally in less than five months calling for a halt to electoral reform. Previously demanding the attention of Congress, the protesters are now – and following approval of the legislative package this week – targeting the 11 ministers of the Nation’s Supreme Court (SCJN).
The message of the demonstration focused precisely on the weight of the Constitution. Retired minister José Ramón Cossío went to the temple in front of the Supreme Court and spoke of the Magna Carta as the greatest argument in defense of democracy. “Those of us who are here didn’t just want to fill the Zócalo. We come to respectfully and temporarily occupy the Plaza de la Constitución,” he said as he picked up the microphone. The amendments to the electoral laws, having already passed through the legislature, will be subjected to in-depth analysis in court after opposition parties filed unconstitutional claims against “Plan B”. Cossío has defended the Supreme Court ministers who have been harshly criticized by President López Obrador, noting the important role they will play in the future of Mexican democracy. “[En la Constitución] There are the checks and balances for those temporarily occupying government,” he said.
The Zócalo is the public square in Mexico that allows more people to gather in the capital, and it is also a representative place that has set milestones throughout the contemporary history of the North American country. Images of thousands of people dressed in pink have flooded social networks, and organizers were pleased with the high presence of protesters at the call. The streets around the square filled up quickly from early morning. This was the largest concentration of opposition since the start of the López Obrador government in 2018, although its political parties are living their darkest hours. The President always boasts of getting a large turnout every time he calls a rally in the Zocalo, which is why he called a rally in support of his government and to commemorate the 85th anniversary at the same location for March 18 organized by has oil expropriation as backdrop.
Demonstrators raise banners and wave national flags during the gathering this Sunday in the capital’s Zocalo LUIS CORTES (Portal)
The protest took place just a few meters from the National Palace, seat of the executive branch and residence of the President. López Obrador was not there, in a tweet published on Saturday he announced that he was overseeing the work of the Maya train in the south-east of the country. During the meeting, attention rarely focused on the president: Cossío mentioned him by position and Beatriz Pagés, another of the speakers, made veiled references to him. But throughout the act, he was never addressed by his first and last name. The slogans in the election body were concentrated: “The INE touches us”, “our vote will not be stolen”, “I am there for the INE”. Pagés pointed out that despite the fact that the government argues that the electoral reform was due to a budgetary spending issue, it does not represent a higher cost than that of López Obrador’s flagship works. Mentions of the Maya train, Felipe Ángeles airport and the Dos Bocas refinery drew boos from the crowd.
The “Plan B” of the electoral law reform was finally approved in the Senate last Wednesday and only has to be announced. The changes in secondary legislation limit the INE’s role, beginning with a reduction of 300 county committees across the country’s 32 states. The ruling Morena party argues that the legislative changes will save 3,500 million pesos. Opponents point out that this will happen as the institution that organizes the elections thins out, opening the door to less reliable electoral processes and jeopardizing democracy. The reform also relaxes rules on the use of political propaganda among civil servants, a measure that could tip the scales in favor of those who hold public office and have access to budgets.
The concentration lasted just over an hour and ended with the singing of the national anthem. Organizers asked participants to resist under the sun to leave a strong image of concentration. “[Los ministros de la Corte] They will show that the statements made by the President and his staff are not true,” Cossío said in his speech. Some attendees left dozens of pink bouquets on the Supreme Court doors. It is now the turn of the 11 ministers with an office on Pino Suárez Street to decide Mexico’s electoral future.
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