López Obrador, who submitted the plan in April, has long criticized the country’s election authorities, including accusing them of helping engineer his defeats when he ran for president in 2006 and 2012. He said the reform would allow citizens to elect authorities and reduce the influence of financial interests in politics. It would also limit political party funding and limit advertising time. But it sparked widespread concerns that the changes could herald a power grab because it gives the president more control over electoral systems. MORENA’s ruling party and its allies lack the two-thirds majority in Congress required for constitutional reform. His latest proposal appeared geared toward a change in the law that would only require a simple majority. Thousands took to the streets to protest the constitutional initiative on Sunday, but López Obrador said the demonstrations were a “racist” and “class” protest and challenged his opponents to stage a bigger one. “They did it in favor of corruption, in favor of racism, classism, discrimination,” López Obrador said on Monday. It was one of the largest marches against López Obrador’s policies so far. Report by Valentine Hilaire. Edited by Anthony Esposito and Jonathan Oatis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
