Mexico's Sheinbaum warns of foreign election interference, backs reform to annul tainted votes
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has warned that foreign interference could threaten Mexico’s democratic processes, backing a constitutional reform that would allow elections to be annulled if outside influence is proven.
Speaking at a press engagement, Sheinbaum said both Mexico’s 2027 elections and the upcoming U.S. elections could be affected by political actors seeking to use bilateral issues for electoral gain.
“There may be sectors that actually want this to influence the United States elections in November or to influence the Mexican elections in 2027,” she said. “In both cases, the issue of sovereignty is very important.”
She accused U.S. politicians of repeatedly using Mexico as a campaign issue during election periods. “When there are elections in the United States, they have tried to use Mexico for the election,” Sheinbaum said. “We are nobody’s piñata.”
The president defended a constitutional reform recently approved by Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies, arguing that all political parties should support measures aimed at preventing foreign influence in national elections. “All Mexicans should agree with this: that there should be no foreign interference in elections in Mexico,” she said.
The proposed reform would allow federal and local elections to be annulled if authorities determine that foreign interference influenced the outcome. It covers activities such as illicit financing, propaganda campaigns, digital manipulation and political, economic, diplomatic or media pressure from foreign governments.
Sheinbaum acknowledged that clear rules would be needed to determine when foreign interference had occurred and how it could be proven. The measure passed the lower house by 307 votes to 128, with one abstention, and now moves to the Senate for consideration.
Opposition lawmakers have warned that the reform could be applied too broadly or used to challenge legitimate election results. The ruling party argues it is necessary to protect Mexico’s sovereignty and electoral integrity.
Mexico’s next general elections, scheduled for June 2027, will elect all 500 members of the Chamber of Deputies, 17 governors and more than 2,000 local officials.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
