President of Mexico presents reform initiative to shield elections from organized crime

Published at: 22/05/2026 11:52 AM

The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, presented an initiative to reform the General Law on Electoral Institutions and Procedures with the objective of shielding electoral processes starting in 2027. This proposal seeks to establish strict mechanisms to prevent candidates who have any type of link to organized crime from running in a timely manner.

According to the Executive, the measure comes as a response to cases detected at the local level, where links were identified between some municipal presidencies and organized crime.

To operationalize this control, the reform proposes the creation of a commission for verifying the integrity of candidacies, which will be composed of five counselors from the National Electoral Institute (INE). This new technical body will be responsible for evaluating the profiles of candidates before their official records are consolidated, ensuring that there are no risk factors that could compromise the legality and security of elected office.

The above-mentioned commission will not act in isolation, but will work in close coordination with key institutions of the Mexican State, such as the National Intelligence Center, the Attorney General's Office (FGR), the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the National Banking and Securities Commission. Through this common front, the necessary consultations will be held to determine if there is a possible reasonable risk about the applicants' links to illegal activities.

The initiative highlights that the entire evaluation and research process will be carried out with strict respect for the principle of presumption of innocence, thus guaranteeing the political rights of the participants.

With this project, the federal government seeks to strengthen the country's democratic institutions, ensure transparency at the polls and prevent criminal groups from influencing the nation's political and governmental structure.

Mazo News Team