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Protest in Mexico City: People protest “for our democracy”
Photo: Victor Mendiola / AFP
They are protesting against an electoral reform by their president and for the preservation of democracy: Thousands of people took to the streets in Mexico's capital and other places in the country under the motto "for our democracy." Almost three and a half months before the presidential and parliamentary elections, demonstrators filled the central “Zócalo” square in Mexico City on Sunday.
Many of them were dressed in pink, the color of the electoral authority INE. Their former boss Lorenzo Córdova gave a speech in front of the presidential palace. There were also rallies in other cities for fair elections and against the dismantling of democratic institutions.
The government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador pushed through an electoral reform that drastically reduced the electoral authority. The left-wing populist also wants to have federal judges - including for the Supreme Court - elected by the people. Some critics warn of a possible return to the days when Mexico's state institutions were not independent of the government and the "Party of Institutionalized Revolution" ruled for 71 years, from 1929 to 2000.
The 70-year-old López Obrador will not be allowed to run again in the elections on June 2nd. The constitution only allows presidents to serve a six-year term. His Morena party's candidate, Claudia Sheinbaum, mayor of Mexico City, is clearly ahead in the polls.
eru/dpa/AFX