Mexico president proposes dramatic electoral reforms

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Mexico’s government on Thursday proposed a dramatic overhaul of the nation's electoral system and the agency that oversees it — one of the country’s most trusted institutions. It would reduce the size of Congress and have the federal elections board elected by voters, potentially adding a higher degree of politics to what has been an independent body.

The proposal also would reduce federal funding of political parties. Many of the proposals would address President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's repeated criticisms of electoral authorities.

López Obrador and several members of his cabinet presented the the constitutional reform during his daily news conference. The changes would create a new federal elections authority that would replace the National Electoral Institute.

But the path for what will surely be a controversial reform package would be difficult. López Obrador’s party and its allies do not have the two-thirds majority in Congress required to make constitutional changes. The main opposition parties have already said they oppose such changes.

“There is no intention of imposing a single party,” López Obrador said. “What we want is that there is a true democracy in the country and that electoral frauds end ... to leave a true democratic state established.”

López Obrador’s administration argues that the changes would save Mexico $1.2 billion.