Mexican president slams protesters: ‘They don’t care about democracy’ – National | 24CA News
Mexico’s president lashed out Monday towards demonstrators against his plan to chop election funding, belittling their issues about threats to democracy and dashing any hopes that he would attempt to ease rising political tensions.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador appeared to revel within the battle, hurling insults on the tens of 1000’s of people that demonstrated over the weekend in Mexico City’s most important plaza, calling them thieves and allies of drug traffickers.
“There was an increase in the number of pick pockets stealing wallets here in the Zocalo, but what do you want, with so many white-collar criminals in one place?” Lopez Obrador mentioned at his day by day morning press briefing.
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At the foundation of the battle are plans by Lopez Obrador, which have been accepted final week by Mexico’s Senate, to chop salaries and funding for native election workplaces, and cut back coaching for residents who function and oversee polling stations. The adjustments would additionally cut back sanctions for candidates who fail to report marketing campaign spending.
Lopez Obrador denies the reforms are a risk to democracy and says criticism is elitist. He argues that the funds must be redirected to serving to the poor.
Riffing on the protesters’ slogan “Don’t touch the INE (National Electoral Institute),” Lopez Obrador mentioned their slogans have been “Don’t touch corruption,” “Don’t touch privileges,” “Don’t touch the Narco Government.”
“They don’t care about democracy, what they want is to continue with the oligarchy, the rule of the rich,” the president mentioned.
Demonstrators say the electoral legislation adjustments accepted final week threaten democracy and will mark a return to previous practices of vote manipulation. Few at Sunday’s demonstration had any type phrases for Lopez Obrador, both.
“The path he is taking is toward socialism, communism,” mentioned Fernando Gutierrez, 55, a small businessman. “That’s obvious, from the aid going to Cuba,” Gutierrez mentioned. Lopez Obrador has imported coronavirus vaccines, medical staff and stone railway ballast from Cuba, however has proven little style for socialist insurance policies at dwelling.
Sunday’s demonstrators have been clad principally in white and pink — the colour of the National Electoral Institute _ and shouted slogans like “Don’t Touch my Vote!” Like the same however considerably bigger protest on Nov. 13, the demonstrators appeared considerably extra prosperous than these on the common demonstration.
The heated nature of the talk drew consideration from the U.S. authorities.
“Today, in Mexico, we see a great debate on electoral reforms that are testing the independence of electoral and judicial institutions,” Brian A. Nichols, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for Western hemisphere affairs, wrote in his Twitter account. “The United States supports independent, well-resourced electoral institutions that strengthen democratic processes and the rule of law.”
Lopez Obrador mentioned final Thursday that he’ll signal the adjustments into legislation, regardless that he expects courtroom challenges. Many at Sunday’s protest expressed hope that Mexico’s Supreme Court would overturn among the adjustments.
Lorenzo Cordova, the top of the National Electoral Institute, has mentioned the reforms “seek to cut thousands of people who work every day to guarantee trustworthy elections, something that will of course pose a risk for future elections.”
The president has pushed again towards the judiciary, in addition to regulatory and oversight businesses, elevating fears amongst some that he’s searching for to reinstitute the practices of the outdated PRI social gathering, which bent the principles to retain Mexico’s presidency for 70 years till its defeat within the 2000 elections.
Tyler Mattiace, who researches the Americas for Human Rights Watch, mentioned it was “disappointing” that Lopez Obrador determined to make main adjustments on the one a part of Mexican democracy that’s clearly working.
Vote counts have turn into way more dependable because the nationwide electoral institute was based within the Nineties, and the company licensed Lopez Obrador’s personal victory in 2018 elections.
“It is worrisome that all this comes just before the 2024 elections, in a context in which the president has shown very little tolerance for those who don’t agree with him,” mentioned Mattiace.
Elections in Mexico are costly by worldwide requirements, partly as a result of nearly all authorized marketing campaign financing is, by legislation, equipped by the federal government. The electoral institute additionally points the safe voter ID playing cards which can be probably the most generally accepted type of identification in Mexico, and oversees balloting within the distant and infrequently harmful corners of the nation.
Lopez Obrador stays extremely well-liked in Mexico, with approval scores of round 60%. While he can’t run for reelection, his Morena social gathering is favored in subsequent 12 months’s nationwide elections and the opposition is in disarray.
Part of his well-liked attraction comes from railing towards high-paid authorities bureaucrats, and he has been angered by the truth that some high electoral officers are paid greater than the president. But Lopez Obrador has additionally overtly criticized oversight and regulatory businesses, the courts and congress.
The opposition, tarnished by corruption scandals, has struggled to compete with the president’s well-liked spending and handout packages.
Ruben Salazar, the director of the Etellekt Consultores agency, mentioned there may be “a lack of leadership in the opposition to mount a defense of all these institutions like the INE and the Supreme Court.”
