Mexico protesters in mass rally against electoral changes
In Mexico City, massive crowds have gathered to protest proposed alterations to the electoral authority ahead of the presidential elections set for June. According to the Mexico City government, approximately 90,000 individuals assembled in Zocalo Square for the demonstration. However, rally organisers claim the turnout was significantly higher.
The opposition accuses President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of attempting to undermine the National Electoral Institute (INE), an autonomous and non-partisan entity. President López Obrador contends that the INE is biased and plagued by corruption. Since his triumph in the 2018 presidential elections, he has advocated for a reform of the INE, saying that it will save taxpayers $150 million (£119 million) annually by drastically reducing the agency’s workforce.
Sunday’s protest in the historic square of the capital city is the latest in a series of similar demonstrations in Mexico in recent years.
“We do not want our autonomous institutions to be attacked, we want to defend our democracy, we want the INE… to be independent, and we want our president to keep his hands off the election,” demonstrator Diana Arnaiz was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
Obrador is not able to seek re-election because Mexican presidents are limited to a single six-year term.
He is supporting former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, who is currently ahead in the opinion polls.