On January 2, the Political Coordination Board (Jucopo) of the Chamber of Deputies unanimously agreed to suspend the entire process for the selection of four new counselors of the National Electoral Institute (INE).
This, 10 days after the Superior Chamber of the Electoral Tribunal of the Judicial Power of the Federation (TEPJF) reversed the call, arguing, among other things, that there was an “unconstitutional intervention” of the Jucopo in the process.
The president of the Political Coordination Board, Ignacio Mier Velazco (and coordinator of the Morena deputies) said that the measure will be complied with, however he announced a frontal battle against the Court ensuring that it has made systematic violations of the Constitution.
According to the legislator, it will be until February 3 when the Plenary of the Chamber of Deputies resumes session and can attend to the indications made by the Electoral Tribunal.
We started 2023 with a meeting of the Political Coordination Board at the @Mx_Diputados. We are going to return to the pending issue of the call for the election of INE Directors. pic.twitter.com/z9Hu5GBuJQ
— Ignacio Mier Velazco (@NachoMierV) January 2, 2023
What did the Electoral Tribunal order?
On December 23, the Superior Chamber of the Electoral Tribunal of the Judicial Power of the Federation revoked the process that the legislators had already initiated.
One of the arguments of the Court was that Jucopo indicated that the Technical Evaluation Committee (who review the profiles of candidates for electoral councilors) should deliver two reports on the fulfillment of the requirements of the candidates and those that it considered best qualified.
But the Court noted that this committee is not obliged to do so, but only to “inform you of the people best evaluated by each counseling to choose.”
The second argument is that the process must distinguish between the three positions of electoral counselor and the position of president, since the court indicated that they have different functions and attributions.
In addition, the evaluation committee must present a specific list with five candidates for the presidency in the INE and three quintets for the ministries, to comply with the principle of gender parity.
The response was not well received by the coordinator of the Morena legislators, who at the time said that they are looking for “rules to mode” so that the next electoral counselors are “godchildren of Claudio X or Lorenzo Córdova.”
Deputies vs Electoral Tribunal, what’s next in the process?
Deputy Ignacio Mier said Monday at a press conference that there are three ways that the Political Coordination Board voted, the first is to abide by the Court’s resolution.
“In order not to incur what we criticize and question as a power, the resolution will be complied with but the sentence is directed, not to the Political Coordination Board, but to the Plenary of the Chamber of Deputies and it will be once the ordinary period begins when the Plenary of the Chamber takes cognizance and, where appropriate, endorse the proposals for modification to the call and the integration of the Technical Committee with regard to the reports that the Political Coordination Board has to be issuing, “he said.
According to the Moreno coordinator, there are 58 days left to make the changes requested by the Electoral Tribunal.
However, he said that there is another legal route to refute what was ordered by the Electoral Tribunal, because he considers that there is a “systematic violation of the Constitution,” as well as a “violation and interference with the Legislative Power,” so they analyze a legal battle against the body.
“To do this, the Directorate of Legal Affairs was instructed to present us with a legal route, which can be from indirect protection, constitutional controversy and in the case of finding other types of criminal offenses, such as prevarication, move away from their obligation that judges have, we could also resort to the Federal Judiciary for administrative sanctions and, where appropriate, impeachment.” Mier said.
According to Ignacio Mier, the Political Coordination Board would use the powers of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Deputies for this legal battle.
When asked how to refute the orders of the Electoral Tribunal, the president of Jucopo argued that there is an “invasion of functions.”
“It would seem a contradiction, which it is, we are going to abide even when we have the legal route because they are invading attributions that correspond exclusively to the Chamber of Deputies.”
“I believe that they lent themselves, and I repeat it again, to actions outside the delivery of justice of the Court, but that is my personal assessment, it is what I have been maintaining, not now, for some time in all its resolutions.”Mier said in reference to the order given by the Court to incorporate a member of Movimiento Ciudadano, to the Permanent Commission.
“It is a systematic act and that legally is called prevarication … They are interests and you know them, they are the ones who organized the marches,” he said.
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