As criticism mounts, Mexico's president accuses protesters who protested against political reform of having ties to drug trafficking

Is Mexico's democracy at risk with "Plan B" of electoral reform?

3:46

(CNN) --

Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Monday dismissed concerns about his plan to cut the country's electoral watchdog, accusing protesters of having ties to drug traffickers.

Images of a massive protest in Mexico City this Sunday showed tens of thousands of people dressed in pink, the color of the National Electoral Institute (INE), which oversees elections and has been accused of partisanship by López Obrador.

Many demonstrators carried signs that said: "Don't touch the INE, don't touch the INE."

During his daily morning press conference on Monday, López Obrador mocked the cartels, saying that what they meant was "Corruption is not touched."

"According to them, privileges are not touched, the narco-State is not touched," he added, alleging without evidence that the protest leaders "have been part of the corruption in Mexico, they have belonged to the narco-State."

advertising

• Plan B of electoral reform in Mexico: what's next on the road to the 2024 elections

Analysis |

It is necessary to consider denouncing the Mexican State before The Hague 3:12

Mexican lawmakers last week approved a president-backed bill to cut INE's budget, which could lead to an 85% reduction in its staff, as well as the closure of several local offices.

Lorenzo Córdova, who heads the INE, said on Twitter that the measure could "seriously affect future electoral processes."

Election officials warn that the change will affect their ability to hold free and fair elections ahead of the 2024 general election, when López Obrador, whose term is limited to six years, is expected to name a successor.

More generally, moves to limit independent agencies like the INE have raised fears of a return to practices observed when Mexico was ruled by a single autocratic party for decades before 2000.

• Mexican Senate approves "Plan B" of López Obrador's electoral reform: Why is it so controversial?

Thousands of Mexicans protested against the recent reforms promoted by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in Mexico City.

(Credit: Fernando Llano/AP)

López Obrador has argued that the plan to cut the agency's budget will save millions of dollars and make voting more efficient.

AMLO came to power in 2018 promising to tackle inequality and poverty, and has consistently criticized the salaries of top INE officials and accused the institution of enabling fraud in previous elections.

But Will Freeman, a Latin America fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, warned that López Obrador's comments on Monday were “incendiary, reckless and as dangerous for democracy as the INE reform that led more than 100,000 Mexicans to the streets".

“We should be concerned in any country where you see a sitting president shaking up the electoral administration, while in reality there is no force left standing in the opposition to push back,” Freeman said.

Electoral Reform