Senate published minute opinion allowing promotion of the Revocation of Mandate despite the electoral ban

This Wednesday, the Senate of the Republic published in the Parliamentary Gazette, the minute opinion that states that the dissemination of the consultation for the revocation of mandate to be held next April 10 is not propaganda, so despite being in electoral closure, its dissemination by any official will not be considered illegal.

This comes after Tuesday night, March 15, the united commissions of the Senate endorsed the decree of correct interpretation, promoted by Morena, so that all public servants can promote the revocation of the mandate, despite the fact that the Constitution prohibits it.

The legislators proposed a new definition of government propaganda without modifying the constitutional text, despite the opposition's rejection, so it was as follows:

“(Government propaganda is) the set of writings, publications, images, recordings and projections disseminated, under any form of social communication, paid by the public budget, specifically labeled for that purpose, by a public entity.”

“The expressions of public servants, who are subject to the limits established by applicable laws, do not constitute governmental propaganda. Nor does information of public interest constitute government propaganda,” warns the text amended by the senators.

It is expected that this Wednesday, the opinion will be dispensed at first reading to be debated immediately and adopted by a simple majority (75 votes), which Morena and her allies have.

However, the opposition is expected to present a suspensive motion and individual votes to seek to stop the so-called “decree”.

Opposition lawmakers have warned that if the ruling is approved in the manner in which Morena and his allies intend, it opens the door to the promotion of federal officials, including the President of the Republic, and governors to promote and call for participation in the Revocation of Mandate on April 10.

“This ruling represents, in more ways than one, an invasion of the Legislative Power in the area of competence and interpretation capacity that both the National Electoral Institute and the Oples and the Electoral Tribunal have of the law. Not only that, it also means that the majority have actively sought ways to circumvent the law and to go against the provisions that, in a collegial and consensual manner, we sought when the Mandate Revocation Law was enacted,” said PRI's Claudia Ruiz Massieu at the session on Tuesday, March 15.

For his part, the panist Damián Zepeda assured that “it is to commit an excess and allow a government propaganda tool such as the morning ones and to say that this is legal. And there I differ, because I do believe that the exercise to which this interpretation is aimed is indeed an exercise in governmental propaganda,” he said.

On Monday, March 14, the deputy coordinator of the PAN in the Senate, Kenya López Rabadán, filed a complaint with the Office of the Prosecutor Specialized in Electoral Crimes (FEPADE) against Morena for the electoral use of social programs and coercion of voting in the participation of the Mandate Revocation.

“I come to file this complaint against the political party of Morena and whoever is responsible for the electoral use of social programs and coercion of voting in the participation of the Mandate Revocation and other states in which electoral processes will take place this year,” says the demand.

According to López Rabadán, the campaign has been evidenced in the placement of propaganda that conditions the delivery or continuity of social programs, such as pensions for older adults, scholarships for young people and children, support for women and the countryside, “and even coerces the vote so that the Metro can continue with a fee of five pesos or for vaccines to continue to be applied”, added the legislator in the complaint.

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