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A6 WORLD NEWS
Friday 24 February 2023
Mexico president foresees court challenges to electoral law

MEXICO CITY (AP) —Mex- are paid more than the
ico’s president said Thurs- president.
day he expects court His legislative initiative,
challenges to a new law known as “Plan B”, was
that would cut money for proposed by the president
thousands of staffers at the in December after he did
country’s electoral agency not obtain enough votes in
and weaken oversight of Congress for even deeper
campaign spending. electoral changes that
President Andrés Manuel would have changed the
López Obrador, who has size and makeup of Con-
long criticized the agency gress.
for costing taxpayers too The president has repeat-
much and paying high sal- edly denied that the reform
aries, said he’ll sign the new package could put the
bill into law even though elections in Mexico at risk.
electoral authorities say it López Obrador and his sup-
could weaken democracy porters have been critical
in Mexico. of the electoral institute
The bill was approved late since 2006 when he came
Wednesday by Mexico’s within 0.56% of the vote
Senate, 72-50. of winning the presidency
The new law would cut sal- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks during the North America Summit, at and denounced his loss as
aries, funding for local elec- the National Palace in Mexico City, Jan. 10, 2023. fraudulent. He and his sup-
tion offices and training for Associated Press porters launched a mass
citizens who operate and “outside the law.” commonly accepted form “It’s not about undoing protest movement.
oversee polling stations. It While López Obrador was of identification in Mexico, democracy, it’s a different “This is still driven by his
would also reduce sanc- nonchalant about the and oversees balloting in conception of democra- grievances from from those
tions for candidates who court challenges, in the the remote and often dan- cy,” Estevez said. “It’s more years,” Estevez noted.
fail to report campaign past he has frequently at- gerous corners of the coun- majoritarian, and less de- López Obrador later won
spending. tacked Mexico’s judiciary try. pendent on inadequate, the presidency by a wide
López Obrador said he and claimed judges are Protests are already unproductive and mistak- margin in 2018.
expects court challenges part of a conservative con- planned in multiple cities in en elites.” Many in Mexico see the
to the bill, like those that spiracy against his adminis- Mexico against the reform, López Obrador remains electoral institute as a key
have previously been filed tration. in part encouraged by the highly popular in Mexico, pillar of the country’s mod-
against many of his admin- Elections in Mexico are ex- electoral institute itself. with approval ratings of ern democracy since 2000.
istration’s reforms. pensive by international Federico Estevez, a retired around 60%, but cannot López Obrador’s ruling
“All of this is part of normal standards, in part because political science profes- run for re-election. Part of Morena party is favored in
politics in a democracy,” almost all legal campaign sor at the Autonomous his popular appeal comes next year’s national elec-
López Obrador said, add- financing is, by law, sup- Technological Institute of from railing against high- tions and the opposition
ing that he believed the plied by the government. Mexico, said the opposition paid government bureau- is in disarray, which would
measure should survive The electoral institute also claims that López Obrador crats, and he has been seem to give the president
constitutional challenges issues the secure voter ID is “dismantling democra- angered by the fact that little incentive to attack the
because none of it was cards that are the most cy” are exaggerated. some top electoral officials electoral institute.q

Amid crackdown on dissent, Tunisian leader turns on migrants

By BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA curity, military fronts” and on foreigners. Saied’s com- rity Council meeting raised Also Thursday, authorities
Associated Press strict application of the law ments at a National Secu- a storm on social media in Kasserine, near Tunisia’s
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tuni- and condemnations from western border with Al-
sian authorities on Thursday nongovernmental organi- geria, said security forces
said they have arrested zations. Tunisia, once laud- have arrested 69 migrants
dozens of migrants near ed as the only budding de- of various nationalities in
the Algerian border, two mocracy in the Arab world, the past 48 hours for ille-
days after Tunisia’s increas- has recently also seen a gal entry. There are no of-
ingly authoritarian leader crackdown on opposition ficial data on the number
claimed there’s a plot to politicians and activists. of sub-Saharan migrants in
erase his country’s identity In a statement Thursday, Tunisia, but a 2021 count
by bringing in sub-Saharan the Tunisia-Africa Business estimated them at 21,000.
Africans. Council denounced “rac- Migrants mainly enter from
President Kais Saied said ist practices ... spreading Algeria and Libya, and usu-
Tuesday that “urgent mea- panic among sub-Saharan ally want to continue their
sures” were needed to ad- students in Tunisian universi- journey to Europe.
dress the entry of irregular ties.” It said a “strong mes- Presidential aide Walid
immigrants from sub-Saha- sage” should be sent to Hajjem said Wednesday
ran countries, “with their lot Migrants from Tunisia gesture as they sail in a wooden boat as reassure African students, that planned measures for
of violence, crimes and un- they are assisted by crew members of the Spanish NGO Open and “clear instructions sub-Saharan migrants will
acceptable practices.” Arms, sixteen miles west of the Italian island of Pantelleria in the given to security forces to not breach their human
He ordered a rapid re- Mediterranean sea, on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. ensure security ... including rights or hurt relations with
sponse via “diplomatic, se- Associated Press the rights of foreigners.” African countries.q