OPINION

Morena propaganda seen in Mexico City ahead of April 10’s vote. Photo: Google

By KELIN DILLON

Despite a recent decision by Mexico’s Electoral Court of the Judicial Power of the Federation (TEPJF) to prohibit the Mexican government from promoting the upcoming and controversial mandate revocation process through state-disseminated propaganda, the in-power National Regeneration Movement (Morena) – the leftist party of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) himself – has continually disregarded the court’s ruling for its own benefit, beginning with a provider of both the federal Morena government and the local Mexico City government paying for giant, pro-AMLO posters and plastering them all across the capital’s public transportation systems.

GP Construcciones, which has previously carried out 25 contracts, worth 63 million pesos, with the federal government, paid 473,000 pesos for these advertisements to be publicly displayed in the weeks leading up to the election, a move that could impact the voting decisions of the Mexico City metropolitan areas’ more than 21.8 million inhabitants. On AMLO’s part, the move is an ironic one: Constantly critical of the private sector in favor of the state, López Obrador has now weaponized the private sector for his own favor when unable to overtly manipulate his power over the federal government to execute his goals.

Luz Alicia Ramos Pineda, a representative for GP Construcciones, had previously assured the autonomous organization running the mandate revocation – the National Electoral Institute (INE) – that the pro-AMLO ads were taken out at the company’s own discretion, claiming that the construction group has no affiliations with any political party – deceptively acting as if the 63 million pesos worth of government contracts awarded to the firm by Morena has not colored their allegiances in the slightest.

This isn’t Morena’s first infraction on the propaganda ban, as the party recently came under fire for utilizing government-owned military equipment and personnel to promote the mandate revocation process – a move endorsed by Morena President Mario Delgado’s presence at the day’s events.

In that same vein, Morena and key party officials like Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum and Delgado went on to host a rally for 80,000 people in Mexico City’s Monument of the Revolution to advertise the mandate revocation in favor of López Obrador on Wednesday, April 6, in yet another direct violation of the TEPJF ruling.

“What is going to happen next Sunday? Whoever puts the mandate revocation consultation can only be a brave president who knows that the people love him: President Andrés Manuel López Obrador,” said Sheinbaum at the time, overtly promoting AMLO in the face of TEPJF restrictions and going on to claim the INE “has no moral authority.”

For his part, AMLO’s own promises to follow the law and eliminate corruption have been clearly discarded in favor of his own personal gain, best embodied by his bold proclamation at his daily morning press conference on April 6: “Don’t tell me that the law is the law.”

With the mandate revocation process scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 10, time will soon reveal if all of Morena’s continual (and illegal!) propaganda efforts actually paid off.