Will the Mexican Government have a revocation or re-election?

Listen this article

On March 19, the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, signed a document in which he promised not to seek re-election

In accordance with the Mexican Constitution, under no circumstances may the presidents who have exercised this position have access to a second postulation to the presidency. However, the president decided to manifest this decision publicly due to pressure from his opponents. He expressed this when he read the commitment he signed during the press conference: "I reaffirm that I am not a supporter, I do not agree with the re-election and that I would never try to perpetuate myself in the position I currently hold", he said.

Leer en español: ¿Tendrá el Gobierno mexicano una revocación o una reelección?

In addition, he made a proposal for a law to revoke the presidential mandate, which will be executed halfway through the six-year period established in the legislation: "By the middle of my mandate in 2021, a consultation will be held to see if I should continue or not … According to our Magna charter, the people have at all times the right to change the form of their Government. That is to say, the people put and the town takes away", he said.

Despite these statements, many of their opponents said that this is only a strategy to change the Constitution and thus be able to run for a second term.

Several points of view raised their voice

There were many opponents and followers who could not avoid commenting on AMLO's commitment, not wanting to seek re-election.

This was stated by Ana Villagrán, Councilor of the Cuauhtémoc Mayor's Office during a discussion forum on Televisa's Mexican news: "Frankly, the president will be able to sign a thousand letters, a thousand pieces of paper, but I believe that the letter he signed today with the commitment not to be re-elected in 2024, it has the same value as a letter to the wise men. We see a tendency of the president to follow in the footsteps of many of his friends in Latin America".

In addition, for many, this act has no validity, since it is a mandate that has always existed within Mexican law. This was expressed by the lawyer and academic Martin Vivanco during the forum: "This is generating much more noise. What the president did gives rise to suspicion, because why sign a paper that all he does is say what is already prohibited. That is already in the penal code, you can not re-elect a president for any reason. It has no meaning other than symbolic. And what it does is to be gradually putting the concept between re-election and revocation".

However, for Alejandro Densinas, political scientist and sympathizer of the Four T, the proposal of the revocation was a way to enforce Article 39 of the Constitution, which ensures that the people have full national sovereignty to alter or modify the form of his Government : "I see how the revocation is confused with the re-election, they are antagonistic terms. Reelection extends the mandate. Revocation can cut it. The level of confusion was such that the president had to go out and sign a letter, declaring that he will not seek re-election. I think it's something healthy for democracy", he said.

With all these discrepancies and support, many say that several Latin American countries have also gone through the same situation in which their leaders have been re-elected.

You may be interested in reading: Mexico: how is the AMLO's government going?

The history of reelection is not new in Latin America

According to a study by the Political Science Journal of the Catholic University of Chile, during the decade of the 90s, 89% of Latin American countries skimped the presidency to a single government or established deferred reelection, which consists of that a former president can run again but after a period of rest. However, today that percentage has been reduced to 50%, because now, in the other half of countries, consecutive reelection is seen during two terms or indefinite reelection.

This is the case of Colombia, Argentina, Bolivia, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, in which their leaders have had more than one presidential mandate.

But, how viable or harmful can it be to democracy to have a president for more than one presidential term?

According to the research of the Revista de Ciencia Política (RCP), many of the nations with a deferred reelection system, such as Chile, Uruguay, Panama, Costa Rica, and Peru; they improve their functioning in the rule of law, reduce their levels of corruption and obtain greater political stability. But in turn, those countries that have indefinite reelection, as in the case of Nicaragua, Ecuador and Venezuela, suffer a disastrous institutional practice.

Whether or not the case of the current president of Mexico; that in spite of publicly stating that he did not go for a re-election in 2024, arousing several controversies and suspicions on the part of his opponents, one can not stipulate what the president's intentions are without first observing his political behavior during the next six years. presidency.

LatinAmerican Post | Julieta Gutiérrez

Translated from "¿Tendrá el Gobierno mexicano una revocación o una reelección?"