Érika Hernández / Reform Agency
Monday, April 03, 2023 | 18:44
Mexico City.- In her first speech before the General Council, the president of the INE, Guadalupe Taddei, warned that, in this new stage, the main challenge will be to review the costs of the electoral body, as long as they do not put the electoral processes at risk.
His proposal is made in the midst of the demand by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his party, Morena, to make the Institute cheaper, and questions about its relationship with the 4T.
“There is another clamor in society that is the cost of our democracy. There are those of us who say that it is indeed a high cost, there are those of us who say that it is not a high cost and that it is worth the investment.
“But it is better to sit down to reflect and say where technological modernization, improving guidelines, procedures, control sections, security chains, within everything that is the process, can lead us to lower prices, without losing the quality of the electoral processes, which would be the condition, I understand, with which we would have to begin the analysis,” he assured.
After listening, for more than 2 hours and 40 minutes, to all the advisers and representatives of the political parties, the former president of the state body of Sonora, expressed that she agrees that everyone should feel proud of the INE.
However, he assured, there are situations that must also be improved.
Although a constant in the speeches was the demand for the defense of the INE and impartiality, Taddei did not refer to this in a particular way.
He affirmed that no one should be mistaken in that all political forces will be respected, but the parties must also respect the agreements that are technically approved.
Without referring to the polarization and questions with which they arrive, he considered that for now they should focus on what is their responsibility.
“I call on all my colleagues and the political forces to place ourselves once again in the part that does concern us, the organization of the elections in a neat and excellent manner,” he added.
In his message, the cost of the INE predominated, for which he assured that he supported the proposal of the counselor Carla Humphrey on revising the budget, whose 2024 project must be designed as of May, so that it is approved by the Council in August.
“That we review what is happening with our education in terms of budgetary matters, let’s review it, surely there will be something in which we can improve, perhaps something has to be increased in the entities and reduced in central offices or reduced in the entities and increase in central offices,” he said.
