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Mexico’s Electoral Court Overturns INE Fines Tied to Judicial-Election ‘Acordeones’

The court said the electoral authority failed to prove candidate knowledge or measurable benefit from the guides.

Overview

  • The Sala Superior voted by a three–two majority to revoke the penalties, with Mónica Soto, Felipe Fuentes Barrera and Felipe de la Mata Pizaña in favor and Reyes Rodríguez Mondragón and Janine Otálora dissenting.
  • Two magistrates, Gilberto Bátiz and Claudia Valle, abstained after recusing themselves because their names appeared in the guides.
  • The INE had documented 336 physical and digital lists referencing 172 candidates, including Supreme Court ministers, and levied fines totaling roughly 6.3 million pesos across about 188 candidacies.
  • The majority held there was no proof of direct benefit, mass distribution or voter use of the materials, nor evidence that candidates knew of or coordinated the conduct.
  • Dissenting opinions argued the guides created an objective electoral advantage and urged deeper inquiry, but the ruling closes the pending challenges while leaving authorship and financing unresolved.