International
Thousands of Mexicans protest against electoral reform promoted by Lopez Obrador
February 27 |
The Mexican opposition took to the streets this Sunday in several cities of the country to protest against a controversial electoral reform promoted by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador which, they allege, puts the 2024 general elections at risk.
On Wednesday, the Senate, dominated by the ruling Morena party and its allies, culminated the approval of a reform to the National Electoral Institute (INE) that, among other things, cuts its budget and competencies by closing offices and dismissing officials for millionaire savings.
In Mexico City, thousands of demonstrators filled the capital’s emblematic Zócalo square, the center of Mexican power, and surrounding streets, many of them dressed in pink, the color of the electoral institution that the protests have taken as a symbol.
Among the participants was Alejandro Moreno, president and deputy of one of the main opposition groups, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).
“We Mexicans are on the side of democracy, together we make ourselves heard so that the country’s democratic institutions are not destroyed!” said Moreno in a tweet accompanied by a photo of himself in the middle of the protests.
Veronica Echevarria, a 58-year-old psychologist from Mexico City who was participating in the protest, said she was concerned that the INE reform is an attempt by Lopez Obrador to take control of the electoral authority so he can stay in power.
“We are fighting to defend our democracy,” she said, decked out in a cap that read “INE is not touched.”
Late last year, thousands of people also came out to protest against the reform. Once it enters into force, the opposition will appeal the modifications before the Supreme Court of Justice.
The changes have been seen by analysts as an attempt by the president to weaken INE and generate a democratic step backwards. But the president has defended his initiative by assuring that it will strengthen democracy and reduce the influence of economic interests in politics.
“Normally, presidents seek to have governability and stability for their succession. But the president (Lopez Obrador) is generating uncertainty,” said Fernando Belaunzaran, an opposition politician who helped organize the protest.
This Sunday Belaunzarán announced on his social networks that there would be marches in more than 100 cities.
In June next year Mexicans will elect the successor to Lopez Obrador, a 69-year-old leftist who claims he was robbed of the presidency twice before he finally won a landslide victory in the 2018 election.
While the changes approved this week are less ambitious than the original constitutional reform sought by the president, they significantly modify the composition of INE and eliminate 85% of its professional service positions, a mechanism that guarantees equal opportunity in access to public administration based on merit.
According to INE’s own analysis, the reform puts at risk the preparation of the electoral roll, the installation of polling stations, the vote computations and the auditing of political parties and electoral campaigns.
López Obrador said this week that the institution is one of the most expensive electoral bodies, besides having an “anti-democratic” role, and described this Sunday’s protests as “a demonstration to defend the old corrupt regime”.
For many political analysts, INE and its predecessor, IFE, played a key role in helping to create a pluralist democracy that in 2000 ended decades of rule by the once all-powerful Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).
Polls show that Morena is the heavy favorite to win the 2024 elections. However, critics argue that López Obrador is not so confident that his party can retain power without interfering in the electoral process.
“(The reform) significantly affects INE’s operational capacity, as well as the organization of Election Day, which would be subject to multiple risks, given the weakening of the highest electoral body,” said Senator Gina Cruz, of the opposition National Action Party (PAN). “The ultimate and real purpose of the president is to steal the 2024 elections”.
International
Meta Says Russia Seeks to Ban WhatsApp for Defending Secure Communication
U.S. tech giant Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, said that Russia is seeking to ban the messaging app because it “challenges government attempts to violate people’s right to secure communication.”
Russian authorities have encouraged citizens to switch to state-backed applications, and in August they already blocked WhatsApp’s calling feature.
On Friday, the communications regulator Roskomnadzor claimed that the platform was being used to “organize and carry out terrorist acts in the country, recruit perpetrators, and facilitate fraud and other crimes.”
“If the messaging service does not comply with Russian law, it will be completely blocked,” the regulator warned.
WhatsApp remains one of Russia’s most widely used messaging services, alongside Telegram.
Moscow is pressuring both platforms to grant authorities access to user data upon request for investigations into fraud and activities the government labels as “terrorist.”
Human rights advocates fear the demand could be used to target critics of the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin, or the war in Ukraine.
International
Archbishop Wenski criticizes Trump’s deportation policies, calls for stronger push for reform
The Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, has called for increased pressure on the U.S. Congress to advance comprehensive immigration reform and criticized President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies, arguing that they “do nothing to help.”
“We need to apply more pressure on Congress so lawmakers can make the necessary changes. It is also important for the Administration to listen to our voice. We do not want to be anyone’s enemy—we are Americans,” Wenski said in an interview with EFE.
The religious leader, who heads one of the dioceses with the largest Latino and Haitian populations in the United States, issued a call to defend the rights of migrants. He also emphasized that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has maintained a strong and public stance in favor of migrants for decades.
International
Trump relaunches diplomatic push to finalize U.S.-Backed peace plan for Ukraine War
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his diplomatic team will resume meetings with delegations from Russia and Ukraine in an effort to pressure both sides to accept the peace plan proposed by Washington to end the war in Ukraine.
As part of this new round of talks, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will hold discussions with Ukrainian representatives to narrow differences on the remaining points of the agreement.
Trump also confirmed his intention to meet personally with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and with Putin, though he emphasized that such meetings will only take place “when the agreement is fully finalized or in its final stage.”
The president claimed that his administration has made “tremendous progress” toward resolving the conflict and reiterated that the war “never would have started” if he had been in the White House at the onset of the crisis.
The U.S.-backed peace plan consists of 28 points and has been revised following feedback from both sides. According to Trump, only “a few points of disagreement” remain under active discussion.
One of the most controversial aspects of the proposal is the suggestion that Ukraine cede parts of the Donbas region to Russia and limit the size of its armed forces. Kyiv is working closely with Washington to soften these clauses in search of an arrangement that does not compromise its sovereignty or security.
With this diplomatic push, Trump aims to solidify his role as the main mediator in the conflict and steer the war toward a political resolution after years of devastation, humanitarian crisis, and rising global geopolitical tensions.
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