After a session that lasted practically one day, the Congress of Mexico City approved on Friday a reform that reduces the structure of the Electoral Institute of the capital of the country (IECM).
The reform was promoted by Morena and its allies, who managed to get it endorsed by a majority despite the votes against the opposition parties.
The opposition bloc – made up of PAN, PRI, PRD and MC – even tried to stop the debate, through a suspensive motion whose full reading began on Thursday afternoon and lasted until the early hours of today.
Once the motion was rejected, discussion began in general and in particular until the opinion was passed around noon.
The reform argues that it is not necessary for the IECM to have its current structure, so it is possible to reduce the number of instances and officials that make it up. With this, according to its promoters, it is sought that the institute has a more efficient and austere use of public resources.
One of the main changes involves merging commissions. For example, the Political Partnerships Committee and the Audit Committee will be made one. Similarly, a single commission would be responsible for the issues of Gender, Human Rights, Civic Education and Citizen Construction.
2:51 a.m. 👊🏼
#IECMAusteroYa pic.twitter.com/sLQaovawco
— Temístocles Villanueva (@TemistoclesVR) May 27, 2022
Morena, its allies and the head of government of the CDMX, Claudia Sheinbaum, assure that the IECM already has unnecessary areas and squares. Earlier Friday, at a news conference, Sheinbaum said some of those positions were used as “quotas” for political parties.
The local deputy Temístocles Villanueva, of Morena, said on Thursday that with the proposed modifications the institute will be able to save 50 million pesos a year.
The secretary of government of the capital, Martí Batres, also said on Thursday that those 50 million pesos will be redistributed among the parties.
The @iecm does not lose a single weight of its Budget. Only about 50 million pesos are reallocated internally to ensure that political parties have the necessary resources to pay the salaries of their workers.
— Martí Batres (@martibatres) May 26, 2022
The opposition political forces point out that Morena’s intention is to weaken the IECM and, with it, to deal a blow to the autonomous organs of the capital.
This new reform was approved almost a year after Morena received a setback in the local elections of June 2021 in the CDMX. In those elections, the opposition parties managed to keep nine of the 16 mayoralties, for seven of Morena, and also won more seats in the capital’s Congress, although Morena and its allies retained the simple majority.
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