Sheinbaum Prepares Electoral Reform to Reshape Political System

President Claudia Sheinbaum is preparing to submit an electoral reform initiative to Congress that aims to adjust the structure and financing of Mexico’s political system while incorporating feedback from nationwide public consultations. The proposed changes have already sparked debate among opposition parties and electoral experts, with discussions focusing on their potential effects on party dynamics, representation, and governance.

The reform focuses on three main objectives: reducing the size of Congress, lowering public financing for political parties, and cutting costs for electoral bodies. Drafting is based on extensive public consultation conducted last year, including 65 hearings, 382 submitted proposals, and nationwide opinion surveys.

Proposals for the composition of Congress include:

• A 300-member chamber with fully proportional representation and open lists,

• A hybrid model with 200 majority-elected deputies and 200 proportional representatives,

• Maintaining 300 majority-elected deputies while reducing proportional seats from 200 to 100, and

• Eliminating the 32 national-list senators.

All options aim to reduce the total number of legislators while retaining proportional representation.

The 10 reform areas under consideration are political freedoms, people’s representation, party system, financing and oversight, electoral effectiveness, political communication, electoral authorities, electoral justice, immunity and eligibility, and participatory democracy. For each area, the commission, led by Chair of the Presidential Electoral Reform Commission Pablo Gómez, has prepared multiple scenarios and recommendations, which are currently under review by Sheinbaum, technical advisors, and the Legal Counsel.

Sheinbaum has instructed her team in the Presidential Electoral Reform Commission to carefully review proposals across the key reform areas. A follow-up meeting is scheduled for Jan. 14 to define the general framework of the initiative.

The president will also coordinate with Morena leadership and parliamentary coordinators: Luisa María Alcalde, Adán Augusto López in the Senate, and Ricardo Monreal in the Chamber of Deputies, to plan the legislative path for the reform. Passing the initiative will require qualified majorities in both chambers, and the reform must progress between Feb. 1 and April 30 during the next ordinary legislative session to affect the 2027 elections.

The commission will meet with the National Electoral Institute (INE) to review technical assessments on the functioning of the national electoral system, which includes 32 local boards, 300 district boards, and 32 local electoral bodies (OPLE).

INE President Guadalupe Taddei’s report emphasizes the importance of maintaining OPLEs for system continuity. It also recommends preserving gender parity measures, protections for vulnerable groups, indigenous representation, safeguards against gender-based political violence, and the possibility of postponing the 2027 judicial elections if necessary.

Opposition Proposals and Reactions

Opposition parties are submitting proposals through independent channels. This week, the first submission will come from Somos México, a new political party formed by former PRD and PAN leaders and ex-INE officials, with guidance from former INE presidents Leonardo Valdés and Lorenzo Córdova, who oversaw electoral reforms in 2008 and 2014.

PAN and PRI leaders have expressed opposition to Sheinbaum’s reform, describing it as authoritarian and regressive. PRI Deputy Coordinator Rubén Moreira has labeled the initiative the “Maduro Law,” drawing comparisons with constitutional reforms implemented under Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.

The reform also faces resistance from PVEM and PT allies, who have not yet met with either the commission or the president. According to officials close to the process, MORENA negotiations with these parties will not take place within the commission itself but will be conducted under the direction of the parliamentary coordinators and party leadership.

Tracing the Evolution of Mexico’s Electoral Reform

The roots of Mexico’s current electoral reform trace back to 2022, when former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador proposed sweeping changes to the country’s political system. His reform aimed to replace the National Electoral Institute, eliminate plurinominal deputies, reduce the number of federal legislators to 300 deputies and 96 senators, and implement electronic voting, among other adjustments.

In 2023, the Chamber of Deputies voted on the reform, but it failed to secure the required qualified majority.  Following the rejection, López Obrador announced alternative measures. His “Plan B” sought to amend electoral law in a way that did not require a two-thirds congressional majority, while “Plan C” aimed to enshrine several government programs in the Constitution and implement reforms in the judiciary, INE, and other autonomous bodies, contingent on the restructuring of Congress. However, in the end it was stalled in the Chamber of Deputies.

Building on this legacy, President Claudia Sheinbaum has introduced her own electoral initiative, which maintains the focus on streamlining Congress, reducing party financing, and adjusting the structure of electoral authorities. Her proposal also includes a constitutional ban on re-election for all public offices and nepotism, starting with the 2030 presidential election.