Introduction
Despite the successful execution of state-level judicial elections by 19 local electoral institutes with limited resources, some entities still face economic shortcomings that could affect their regular operations.
Economic Risk Assessment
The National Electoral Institute (INE) reported that at least two entities, Zacatecas and Yucatán, face high economic risk, while four others, including the Mexico City Government, Guerrero, San Luis Potosí, and Veracruz, are experiencing medium economic risk following the state-level judicial elections.
Zacatecas: A Case Study
Zacatecas stands out as the sole organization with an outstanding debt to the INE, approximately 6 million pesos, stemming from coordination agreements for the 2021 and 2024 electoral processes. The local government has informed Zacatecas that they lack the necessary funds to cover this debt.
Furthermore, Zacatecas has requested a budgetary expansion of 40 million 480,495 pesos from the state government’s Finance Secretariat to cover salaries, benefits, labor obligations, social security, various institutional activities, and general expenses. However, this request has yet to receive a response.
Yucatán: Resource Allocation Challenges
In Yucatán, the electoral body had to finance the judicial election using resources originally allocated for operational expenses, such as honorariums, temporary staff salaries, social security costs, printing, and informational material production.
Future Implications
According to consejero Martín Fernando Faz Mora, several local electoral institutes will encounter various challenges in the second half of the year due to the utilization of budgeted resources for this semester to ensure smooth judicial elections.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the main issue? Local electoral institutes in Zacatecas and Yucatán, along with four other entities, face high or medium economic risk following state-level judicial elections.
- What is the situation in Zacatecas? Zacatecas owes approximately 6 million pesos to the INE and has yet to receive a response regarding their budgetary expansion request from the state government.
- How did Yucatán handle its judicial election financing? Yucatán’s electoral body used resources originally allocated for operational expenses to finance the judicial election.
- What challenges lie ahead for local electoral institutes? Due to the use of budgeted resources for this semester to ensure smooth judicial elections, several local electoral institutes will encounter various challenges in the second half of the year.
