Mexico's election body probes alleged political interference ahead of judicial vote
MEXICO CITY - Mexico's electoral authority is investigating complaints that political groups, including ruling party Morena, are trying to sway voters in the upcoming judicial elections, an official at the body said on Monday.
Mexicans will head to the polls on Sunday to choose among roughly 5,000 candidates vying for more than 840 federal judge and magistrate positions, including all Supreme Court justices. They will be Mexico's first-ever judicial elections.
Electoral rules dictate that candidates cannot use campaign materials that link them to a political party, participate in events organized by political parties, or accept donations of any kind.
Claudia Zavala, an electoral adviser at election body INE, told Reuters the institution is looking into two complaints. The first alleges that the government of northern state Nuevo Leon and political party Movimiento Ciudadano (MC) asked civil servants to take voters to polls and shared pamphlets promoting the names of candidates.
The second complaint, in Mexico City, the capital, raises similar allegations against civil servants and ruling party Morena.
The investigations come after videos of people passing out the pamphlets circulated on social media.
"We must respect the people, the citizens, the women and men who have the right to go to the polls and freely decide who they want as their judges, magistrates and ministers, ... and no one should be telling anyone how to vote," Zavala said.
The government of Nuevo Leon, Morena and MC all did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
INE will decide through its investigation whether there has been a violation of the rules, Zavala said, and will pass the information on to the electoral tribunal of the Federal Judiciary, which will ultimately rule on the case.
Mexico's first-ever judicial elections, the result of a reform proposed by former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, have attracted criticism that they risk removing checks and balances on the ruling Morena party and could allow organized crime groups greater influence over the judicial system. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
32 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Russia says Ukraine postpones prisoner exchange, accepting bodies
Ukraine has unexpectedly postponed exchanging prisoners of war and accepting the bodies of killed soldiers for an indefinite period, Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Saturday. Russia and Ukraine held the second round of peace talks in Istanbul on Monday where they agreed to exchange more prisoners - focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded - and to return the bodies of 12,000 dead soldiers. "In strict accordance with the Istanbul agreements, on June 6, Russia began a humanitarian operation to hand over to Ukraine more than 6,000 bodies of killed Ukrainian servicemen, as well as to exchange wounded and seriously ill prisoners of war and prisoners of war under the age of 25," Medinsky said on Telegram. He said that 1,212 bodies of killed Ukrainian soldiers were in refrigerated containers at the exchange point. Russia has also handed over to Ukraine the first list of 640 prisoners of war, categorised as "wounded, seriously ill and young people," in order to begin the exchange, Medinsky added. "The Russian Defence Ministry's contact group is on the border with Ukraine," he said, adding that Ukrainian negotiators were not at the exchange location. Ukrainian officials responsible for the exchanges did not respond to a request for comment. Medinsky urged Ukraine to strictly adhere to the schedule and the agreements, and to immediately proceed with the exchange. "We are on site. We are fully prepared to work. International TV channels, news agencies and correspondents are welcome to come and see for themselves that this is indeed the case," he said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
India, central Asian countries express interest in joint rare earths exploration
NEW DELHI – India and five central Asian countries have expressed interest in jointly exploring for rare earths and critical minerals, they said in a joint statement on June 6 after the fourth meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue. The announcement comes amid global alarm over China's decision to curb exports of rare earth alloys, mixtures and magnets, spooking industries ranging from automobiles and clean energy to defence. India and the central Asian countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan – also called upon 'relevant authorities' for an early meeting of the India-Central Asia Rare Earth Forum, which last met in September. 'The ministers also encouraged exchange of delegations to explore new areas of cooperation in critical minerals,' the statement said, adding the sides agreed to hold their next meeting in 2026. Rare earths are a group of 17 elements used in the creation of magnets that power motion for cars, cellphones, missiles and other electronics. China mines about 60 per cent of the world's rare earths and makes 90 per cent of rare earth magnets. Beijing, however, has announced export restrictions on these in April as part of its sweeping response to US President Donald Trump's tariffs. India is holding talks with companies to establish long-term stockpiles of rare earth magnets by offering fiscal incentives for domestic production, as it looks to reduce dependence on shipments from China. It also plans to launch incentives for recycling 24 critical minerals – a plan that is in the final stages of approval – as it looks to secure the minerals needed for green energy transition. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Ukraine says it shot down Russian Su-35 fighter jet
FILE PHOTO: A Russian Sukhoi Su-35S jet fighter performs a flight during the Aviadarts competition, as part of the International Army Games 2021, at the Dubrovichi range outside Ryazan, Russia August 27, 2021. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File photo Ukraine says it shot down Russian Su-35 fighter jet KYIV - Ukraine's air forces shot down a Russian Su-35 fighter jet on Saturday morning, the Ukrainian military said. "This morning, on June 7, 2025, as a result of a successful Air Force operation in the Kursk direction, a Russian Su-35 fighter jet was shot down," the military said on the Telegram messenger. It gave no more details. Russian forces have not yet commented on the matter while Reuters could not independently verify the report. Ukraine's security agency, the SBU, conducted a large drone attack on over 40 Russian military aircraft last week, damaging or destroying tens of Tu-95 and Tu-22 strategic bombers, which Russia uses to fire long-range missiles at Ukraine. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
