Mexican president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s party could face a US$10 million fine for violations of campaign finance rules, the Mexican National Electoral Institute (INE) said on Wednesday following the group’s wide-reaching election victory.
Lopez Obrador, a former Mexico City mayor who has vowed to root out corruption and make government contracts transparent, on Sunday won by a landslide while his leftist National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) took an outright majority in the Mexican Congress.
The possible fine, slated to be put to a vote by INE on July 18, would be the largest related to campaign financing for the recently concluded election season.
It is nearly as much as the 207.5 million pesos (US$10.67 million) authorized by INE as MORENA’s public financing for campaign spending for Sunday’s election.
The movement’s representative at the institute did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
INE said that the movement formed a trust that it did not report, in which it deposited, mostly through cash deposits, about 78.8 million pesos, as well as checks and bank transfers.
“The party actively participated in forming this financial instrument to collect resources as a financing method contrary to the rules,” INE said in a statement.
It said that the estimate of a possible fine was based on omissions in MORENA’s fiscal report, as well as exceeding cash contribution limits and receiving funds from unknown persons and prohibited entities.
Two sources with knowledge of the matter said that the trust under investigation was called “For the Others,” set up by the movement to help victims of devastating earthquakes in September last year.
The institute said that about 64.4 million pesos was withdrawn from the trust, distributed in checks to party members that were cashed later.
The INE began its investigation after the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) filed a complaint accusing the movement of launching the fund without reporting it to authorities.
INE is also considering fining the PRI 36.5 million pesos for deducting money from state workers in 2015 for the party’s Chihuahua State treasury, and the National Action Party 3 million pesos for taking funds for the recently concluded federal elections from prohibited entities, it said.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
NO EXCUSES: Marcos said his administration was acting on voters’ demands, but an academic said the move was emotionally motivated after a poor midterm showing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday sought the resignation of all his Cabinet secretaries, in a move seen as an attempt to reset the political agenda and assert his authority over the second half of his single six-year term. The order came after the president’s allies failed to win a majority of Senate seats contested in the 12 polls on Monday last week, leaving Marcos facing a divided political and legislative landscape that could thwart his attempts to have an ally succeed him in 2028. “He’s talking to the people, trying to salvage whatever political capital he has left. I think it’s
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
RSS