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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
The
considerable increase in women's political participation and efforts of
Mexican legislators to reform the rules on political financing were
among the main findings of the OAS Mission sent to the federal elections
held on
June 7 in Mexico.
The report,
presented today to the Permanent Council of the Organization of
American States by the Chief of Mission, former President of Costa Rica
Laura Chinchilla, acknowledged the efforts made through " an in-depth
political and electoral reform approved by the Federal Congress in 2013
and 2014, which amended the Constitution, introduced new general
election laws, and created the National Electoral Institute (INE),
granting the national electoral authority new and greater powers.”
Among
its findings, the Mission, made up of 58 international observers with
different specialties and from various nationalities, highlighted the
increase in votes for female candidates, which means that 43% of the
seats in Congress will be filled by women, compared with 37% in the
previous legislature.
On the amendment to the laws of political
financing, the Mission acknowledged the changes which seek to "provide
greater fairness to the elections and reduce the cost of electoral
campaigns." At the same time, it recommended the incorporation of "
clearer regulations regarding private financing of independent
candidates."
The OAS Mission also recognized the joint efforts of
public authorities and poll workers to overcome the challenges
presented in the pre-election period, which included the takeover of 11
INE District Boards in Oaxaca by members of the National Coordinator of
Education Workers (CNTE); the burning of electoral materials in the
states of Guerrero, Michoacan and Oaxaca; and violent attacks against
INE offices in Puebla and Chiapas, among other incidents.
The
Assistant Secretary General of the OAS, Nestor Mendez, said the vast
political experience and hard work of former President Chinchilla " were
critical in ensuring the success of this mission," adding that " we are
all acutely aware that election observation is one of the signature
activities carried out by our Organization and that this is immensely
valuable for our democracies. The importance of these missions cannot
therefore be overstated, and I want to thank all those countries that
contributed funding to make this mission possible."
For his part,
the Permanent Representative of Mexico to the OAS, Emilio Rabasa,
thanked the General Secretariat of the Organization for having accepted
the invitation of the INE and the Federal Electoral Tribunal,
responsible for conducting the election process. He also acknowledged
the work of the Secretariat for Political Affairs of the OAS,
represented by Francisco Guerrero, and the Department for Electoral
Cooperation and Observation, headed by Gerardo de Icaza, in the
successful completion of the Mission. Ambassador Rabasa especially
mentioned the high turnout of Mexican voters, which approached 50%.
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