Mexico’s National Electoral Institute (INE) approved a controversial allocation of seats in the Chamber of Deputies on Friday, granting President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s Morena party and allies a supermajority to pass constitutional reforms without opposition backing.
In its decision, the INE’s governing council voted to allocate 364 of the 500 seats in the Chamber of Deputies to the ruling coalition, despite the coalition securing less than 60 percent of the votes in the June 2 elections. This allocation provides the bloc with a qualified majority of 334 votes, surpassing the two-thirds threshold required to amend the Mexican constitution.
Critics of the decision argue that the INE’s decision violates the Constitution by allowing each party in the coalition to independently benefit from a 8 percent overrepresentation limit, rather than applying it to the coalition as a whole. This interpretation leads to an overall overrepresentation of about 18 percent, far exceeding the constitutional limit given the coalition’s combined vote share of around 54 percent.
The controversy centers on the interpretation of Article 54 of the Mexican Constitution, which limits overrepresentation in government. Critics point out that the INE inconsistently applied the term “political party” within the article, sometimes equating it with “coalition” and other times not. INE counselor Claudia Zavala, who has presented an alternative proposal that was ultimately rejected stated, “The allocation of seats proposed by this agreement does not objectively reflect the plurality expressed by citizens on June 2.”
Mexican political analyst Héctor Aguilar Camín further highlighted the potential repercussions of the INE’s decision, warning that it could give the government “practically dictatorial” power to amend the constitution without consulting other political factions. In response, the opposition announced its intent to challenge the INE’s ruling before the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary (TEPJF).
President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum on the other hand has defended the allocation, asserting that it adheres to legal standards. “Whoever wants to ask the Electoral Institute or the Electoral Tribunal not to apply the law and the Constitution is very wrong. This is called the rule of law,” she stated.
The ruling coalition’s new supermajority raises concerns over the balance of power in Mexico’s legislative branch. With 364 seats, Morena and its allies may pass constitutional amendments without requiring support from opposition parties. This shift carries significant implications for President López Obrador’s agenda, particularly his controversial judicial reform proposals, which aim to introduce popular elections for judges and magistrates across all levels of the federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court of Justice. Opponents of the proposal argue that such a change could politicize the judicial branch and undermine its independence.
As Mexico gears up for a new legislative term starting in September, the impact of this decision on the country’s democratic institutions and the separation of powers continues to spark significant discussion and concern among legal experts, opposition parties, and civil society groups.
