A suspension of Sandra Cuevas could lead the Cuauhtémoc mayor's office to a new election

Sandra Cuevas, mayor of Cuauhtémoc in Mexico City, will appear this Thursday, March 17, for a hearing in the North Prison, where a controlling judge will define whether she is linked to prosecution for her alleged responsibility for the crimes of abuse of authority, discrimination and robbery against two police officers, this as a result of an argument in the defendant's office on 11 February.

On Monday, March 14, the mayor attended her first hearing to formally consider the charges that the Attorney General's Office of Mexico City filed against her following the police complaint. There, the supervising judge determined that Cuevas' suspension as mayor of Cuauhtémoc for three days was a precautionary measure and then, through a letter, the Judiciary of Mexico City notified the local Congress that the suspension could be extended if Sandra Cuevas was linked to the process.

On Wednesday, Sandra Cuevas asked the local Congress for a 15-day license, in which she would be responsible for sustaining her legal defense in what she has defined political persecution from the Head of Government to force a new election in the Cuauhtémoc mayor's office, where the Coalition Va por México, made up of PAN, PRI and PRD won Morena's candidate, Dolores Padierna.

The law indicates that, in the event of a definitive license or absolute fault of the Mayor or Mayor for a period of 60 days, the Head of Government, in this case Claudia Sheinbaum, may propose a list to the City Congress to elect a mayor or interim mayor.

As the possible suspension of Sandra Cuevas would occur within the first two years of her election, Congress must request a new call from the Electoral Institute of Mexico City for citizens to go to the polls to elect the mayor or mayor who will conclude the vacant term.

This new electoral process should not last more than four months after the call is issued. The elected person will begin his assignment and will protest before Congress seven days after the end of the electoral process, according to capital law.

This mayor's office represents the political heart of the country, as it houses the headquarters of the federal government and that of Mexico City, and it is up to the administration of the mayor's office to grant permits for acts of political proselytism, holding cultural and mass events.

In addition to the Historic Center, it is one of the areas with the highest concentration of informal vendors, such as La Lagunilla, Tepito, La Merced and other areas, which according to some political analysts, represents a huge flow of economic resources through the fees that traders pay to their leaders to operate freely.

Sandra Cuevas accused the government of Mexico City of orchestrating a “montage” and assured that “this is a political persecution and it is the opportunity that, through a dismissal, they can regain the Cuauhtémoc mayor's office, because in what the process happens and in the end I get acquitted, it's been three years [...] They're montages by the head of government, she's capable of doing it. The millions of pesos that the Cuauhtémoc mayor's office represents for Claudia Sheinbaum are worth it to remove a mayor.”

In 2021, Morena suffered a major electoral defeat in Mexico City, where almost half of the mayors were left under the colors of the opposition parties.

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Claudia Sheinbaum could propose a short list to replace Sandra Cuevas in the Cuauhtémoc mayor's office