On May 17, Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies passed a constitutional amendment by a vote of 307 in favor, 128 against, and one abstention, allowing election results to be annulled in cases of foreign interference.
Under the new provision, foreign interference is defined as “illegal financing, propaganda, systematic dissemination of disinformation, digital manipulation, and involvement by foreign governments or organizations.” The bill also covers acts of political, economic, diplomatic, or media pressure aimed at influencing public opinion.
The constitutional change is not expected to affect the next federal election scheduled for June 2027 and still requires Senate approval to take effect.
Ricardo Monreal, leader of the ruling Morena party in the lower house, defended the measure as a tool to protect Mexican democracy. He argued that stronger constitutional safeguards were needed to prevent foreign actors from shaping election outcomes.
However, opposition lawmakers accused the ruling party of exaggerating the threat to justify the reform. Jose Elias Lixa, coordinator for the opposition National Action Party (PAN), rejected the notion that opposing the reform meant supporting foreign interference. “We do not accept that kind of argument,” Lixa told fellow deputies. “It’s like saying that those who oppose the annulment of elections due to organized crime interference are against fighting organized crime.”
Ruben Moreira Valdez of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) stated his party opposes foreign interference but questioned how the new rules would be applied. “We reject any foreign interference,” Valdez said. “The issue is that we are debating a problem that confuses interference with meddling, which are different things.”
President Claudia Sheinbaum also warned of the risk of foreign interference in Mexican elections, acknowledging past instances of foreign financing for local candidates and organizations. “There may be a risk of foreign interference in Mexico’s elections,” she said during her daily press conference after the lower house vote.
Morena said it would withdraw secondary legislation that defined how to determine foreign interference and apply the new grounds for annulling elections, citing insufficient time to enforce it before legal deadlines related to the 2027 electoral cycle. Electoral reforms must be enacted at least 90 days before the start of the electoral process to take effect.
