On Sunday, May 4th, Morena adopted a ban on electoral nepotism and expanded the ethical guidelines that candidates for elected office must follow, with the goal of avoiding internal divisions and ensuring fair contests. These are the rules that the membership must observe: what can and cannot be done in the pursuit of public office. We present the document below. It is available in the original Spanish here.

PREAMBLE

Mexico is undergoing an unprecedented process of transformation guided by the principles of Mexican humanism. Politically, the world is witnessing the strengthening of right-wing and far-right movements that are reversing decades of social gains.

Under these circumstances, the 4th Transformation movement to which we belong is not only the most important political force in Mexico, but also a reference for progressive movements around the world. We are a pluralistic movement open to the different currents of thought that converge in Mexican humanism. Therefore, with democratic openness and a rejection of sectarianism, we open spaces for the participation of all those seeking the transformation of the country.

To preserve our ethical essence and maintain the support of the people who sustain and accompany it, it is necessary to reaffirm and consolidate the unity and organizational clarity of our political institution, as well as establish rules that guide the actions of each of its members, in accordance with our party’s Declaration of Principles, which establishes that public power only makes sense when it is exercised with honesty, austerity, and for the benefit of the sovereign people.

In this context, those of us who make up the National Regeneration Movement (Morena) have the moral and ethical imperative to safeguard the transformation process that began with Andrés Manuel López Obrador and continues under the leadership of President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.

The successful construction of Morena and its 2018 electoral victory were, before being political successes, ethical victories.

The activists and millions of supporters offered to pull Mexico out of its moral decadence and carry out a national regeneration that has among its main guiding principles social justice, the eradication of corruption, the construction of a true democracy, legality, the preservation and strengthening of human rights and freedoms, republican austerity as a governing practice, the full exercise of national sovereignty, adherence to the principles of the Mexican State in foreign policy, and the fight against all forms of discrimination, machismo, classism, racism, authoritarianism, and patrimonialism. Thanks to this political and ethical commitment, we gained the trust of a citizenry weary of the plundering of public resources by a reactionary oligarchy, of the pretense and hypocrisy of the conservative parties at its service, and of the economic decline and social decay generated by decades of neoliberalism.

Our political proposals were extremely simple, but tremendously powerful: “For the good of all, the poor come first,” “There can be no rich government with poor people,” and above all, “Do not lie, do not steal, and do not betray the people.”

Under these principles, the transformation of the country began, and thanks to the unwavering ethical commitment of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the results of his administration in favor of the people, the first government of the transformation concluded with majority recognition among the population: at the end of his term, he registered an approval rating of over 70 percent. The first stage of the Fourth Transformation restored hope for the future, and we confirmed that power only has meaning and becomes a virtue when it is placed at the service of others.

This recognition and loyalty to the cause of transformation contributed significantly to the majority support of the citizens for the candidates presented by the movement in the 2024 elections: Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo won the presidential election with a historic vote of almost 36 million votes. It was possible to complete Plan C with legislative majorities in the local chambers and congresses, which is allowing us to achieve the institutional transformation of the country with the approval of constitutional reforms. Likewise, seven of the nine contested governorships were won. With her, all women arrived. The President with an A (Presidenta – ed) arrived because what is not named does not exist.

With her also comes a mother, grandmother, and scientist who conducts politics with love, not hate, and with the conviction that, with our roots firmly planted in our history and our hearts at the forefront, no goal is impossible. Highlighting the idea that there is no prosperity if prosperity is not shared and that the only legitimate way to look someone up and down is when you offer your hand to help them rise. (a turn-of-phrase attributed to Pope Frances – ed)

Morena is the country’s leading force; therefore, our responsibilities to and for the people of Mexico are historic. Acting in accordance with the principles and values ​​that gave rise to the founding of the National Regeneration Movement and the beginning of the Fourth Transformation is the foundation upon which the ongoing transformation process rests.

That has been our way of earning the people’s trust and achieving electoral victories. However, a fundamental premise of this movement is not to become what we so often criticized in the past, and given the enormous popular support we have received from the people of Mexico, it is imperative to make it very clear, without any room for maneuver or error, what the behavior of our members and anyone who is part of our movement should be, as well as what the principles and values ​​that govern us should be.

Our movement cannot, under any circumstances, allow conduct such as: gender-based violence, the appointment of individuals with administrative or criminal sanctions to administrative and political responsibilities, publicly aired disputes between senior national leaders that damage the movement, premature campaigning events that are far from the spirit of our movement, conduct that is alien to republican austerity, and actions that are contrary to the primacy of the public interest over private interests and contrary to the principle of the separation of political and economic power, among others that, despite their individual nature, end up damaging the party’s image and weaken us as a path to transformation in the eyes of the people.

President López Obrador himself warned us in the letter addressed to those attending the National Congress on September 22, 2024; in confirming his final retirement from public, political, and partisan life, our beloved president left us in that letter a reminder of the essence of the values ​​and principles that we must uphold and defend:

My task will be concluded in a few days, but this great party has a long way to go. Always put the interests of Mexico and the needs of the people before personal greed and dissension. Strengthen brotherhood, camaraderie, and institutionality within the party. Always maintain unity, humility, and honesty. Do not allow the old vices and perversions of politics to flourish in our ranks. Avoid arrogance, the pursuit of power for power’s sake, pride, corruption, nepotism, and sectarianism. Do not steal, do not lie, never betray the people, and continue to build the sovereign, democratic, just, free, and loving nation that we envisioned when we began our journey.

We cannot deviate from the principle that the exercise of public power is an opportunity to serve others and not ourselves; we must always remember that the strength of our party-movement lies in its organization from below, that we win popular support house by house, promoting the revolution of consciences and fighting for the separation of political power from economic power.

Based on these values ​​and principles, we must prepare and continue our transformative political work in unity. To strengthen them, we need internal rules that invigorate our institutional framework and the pursuit of interests above individual interests in the 2025, 2026, and 2027 elections, which will test the electoral vitality of the movement.

To run in these elections and confirm that we are the leading political force in Mexico, we must adhere to the principles and values ​​that gave rise to our party-movement, because we cannot forget where we come from, or else we will forget where we are going. Our commitment to the people and to history is profound and requires giving our all.

CONSIDERING

  1. That Morena has been a National Political Party since July 9, 2014, the date on which it was registered by the National Electoral Institute, pursuant to agreement INE/CG94/2014.
  2. That Article 41, paragraph three, section I of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States establishes the right to self-determination and self-organization and the principle of minimal intervention in the internal life of political parties.
  3. That Article 35, Section II of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States establishes the right of citizens to be voted for under equal conditions for all elected offices and that the right to request the registration of candidates before the electoral authority corresponds to political parties; while Article 38 of the Constitution establishes the circumstances under which citizens lose their political rights and the impossibility of being registered in electoral processes.
  4. That Article 134 of the Constitution prohibits public servants from carrying out acts that involve issuing messages with names, images, voices, or symbols for their own personalized promotion; while Articles 3 and 226 of the General Law on Electoral Institutions and Procedures define the nature of early campaign acts and the impossibility for those participating in internal processes to carry out proselytizing and propaganda activities before the formal start date of the pre-campaigns.
  5. That the General Law on Electoral Institutions and Procedures establishes in Article 226 that, in the case of elections in which only the Chamber of Deputies is elected, pre-campaigns will begin in the first week of January of the year of the election and that each party will determine the applicable procedure for the selection of its elected candidates at least 30 days before the formal start of the electoral process, in accordance with its Statutes.
  6. That in accordance with Article 381 of the General Law on Electoral Procedures and Institutions, candidates for elected office are not permitted to accept or use resources of illicit origin and must reject all types of economic, political, or propaganda support or accept donations, whether monetary or in kind, by themselves or through an intermediary, and under no circumstances, from the Executive, Legislative, or Judicial branches of government, state entities, municipalities, departments, entities, and agencies of the Federal, state, or municipal Public Administration, political parties, or individuals or legal entities.
  7. Pursuant to Article 34 of the General Law on Political Parties, the issuance of internal regulations and general agreements required for the implementation of their basic documents is considered to be internal matters of the parties.
  8. That in accordance with Article 3 of the Morena Statutes, the protagonists of true change base their action and unity on causes higher than their own interests, however legitimate these may be: eradicating from political life influence peddling, cronyism, nepotism, patrimonialism, clientelism, perpetuation in office, the use of resources to impose or manipulate the will of others, corruption, political violence against women based on gender, rejection of public denigration or slander among members or leaders of our party, and all practices contrary to the cause of Mexico’s transformation.
  9. Article 41 of the Morena Statute grants the National Council, as the governing body, the authority between national congresses and, in turn, the power to evaluate the party’s overall development, formulate recommendations, and draft, discuss, and approve the party’s internal regulations.
  10. That on June 11, 2023, the National Council issued an Agreement to deepen and continue, in an impartial, democratic, united, and transparent manner, the Fourth Transformation of public life in Mexico, and that this agreement set a precedent in the exercise of the right to self-determination and self-organization within Morena’s internal life.

Consequently, based on Articles 35, 38, 41, 55, 59, 82, 115, 116, 122, and 134 of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States; Articles 3, 226, and 381 of the General Law of Electoral Institutions and Procedures; Article 34 of the General Law of Political Parties; and Articles 3, 6, 6 bis, and 41 of the Morena Statute, the National Council AGREES to issue the following:

GUIDELINES FOR ETHICAL CONDUCT FOR REPRESENTATIVES, PUBLIC SERVANTS, PROTAGONISTS OF TRUE CHANGE, AND MORENA MEMBERS

GENERAL PROVISIONS

  1. These guidelines are mandatory for representatives, public servants, advocates for true change, and Morena party members, especially those who participate or intend to participate in the internal and constitutional processes for the election of pre-candidacies and candidates.
  2. The National Election Commission will observe the criteria established in these guidelines to assess the political background, ethical attributes, and affinity with party causes of individuals who participate or intend to participate in the internal or constitutional processes for the election of pre-candidacies and candidates for Morena, in addition to the constitutional, legal, regulatory, and internal norms that govern federal and local electoral processes.
  3. The National Commission for Honesty and Justice will monitor and verify compliance with these guidelines and may investigate and sanction violations of them by any Morena member or representative.

I. REPUBLICAN AUSTERITY AND THE VOCATION TO SERVE

Guiding Principle: Power only has meaning and becomes a virtue when it is placed at the service of the people. Anyone who aspires to represent Morena must practice republican austerity as a way of life and a principle of public action, conduct themselves soberly and without ostentation, and exercise power with honesty, humility, simplicity, and a vocation to serve.

Conduct contrary to the principles of the Movement:

  1. Using human resources, material, or public finances for personal, family, union, or group benefit, or for purposes other than official, representative, or partisan activities.
  2. Traveling first class or using private aircraft, regardless of the source of the funds spent for this purpose.
  3. Use armored vehicles, private security services, or excessive support personnel, except when justified by security reasons.
  4. Use public resources to travel abroad for political tourism and participate in international conferences, except when justified by special circumstances for essential tasks.
  5. Promoting consumerism or displaying signs of material ostentation such as jewelry, exclusive designer clothing, high-value properties or cars, luxury restaurants or tourism, among other extravaganzas. The trappings of power belong to a past of corruption and privilege; Morena is humility.
  6. Using one’s position to solicit or promote exclusive deals, privileges, or perks, behaving arrogantly or haughty, or humiliating or belittling others.
  7. Organizing lavish official or partisan events or exhibiting ostentatious private events.

II. INDEPENDENCE FROM THE POWER ELITE

Guiding Principle: Morena rejects influence peddling, sectarianism, cronyism, patronage, subordination to the power elite, and any form of dissimulation that compromises its independence.

Conductas contrarias a los principios del Movimiento:

  1. Requesting or receiving human, material, or financial resources from businesspeople, suppliers, media outlets, or any private agent or interest group with the promise of obtaining a benefit from public assignments.
  2. Promoting or allowing the intervention of interest groups or the power elite in the party’s internal processes or decisions with the aim of manipulating, pressuring, or orienting them in their favor.
  3. Compromising or conditioning the party’s support to favor interests unrelated to the party.
  4. Using public, representative, or partisan assignments to obtain personal, family, or group benefits, as well as requesting or receiving any type of gift, handout, or perquisite in connection with the performance of their assignment.
  5. Failing to provide clear, complete, and periodic accounts of their official, political, or partisan activities, as well as the public resources under their responsibility and the results achieved.

III. RESPECT AND EQUALITY AMONG MILITANTS

Guiding Principle: Morena is built on unity, mutual respect, fraternal criticism, and solidarity among comrades. The transformation of the country requires a cohesive movement where dialogue, collective responsibility, and commitment to the ethical principles of our movement prevail. Morena activists, representatives, or candidates for leadership or elected positions must reject all forms of discredit, disparagement, defamation, political gender-based violence, or disloyalty toward other activists or supporters.

Conduct contrary to the principles of the Movement:

  1. Exercising any form of violence, whether physical, verbal, symbolic, sexual, psychological, or political, in all its forms.
  2. Issuing public statements that discredit other members or the movement’s collective decisions without first exhausting internal party channels. Channels of dialogue and institutional channels will always be open to debate, denunciation, criticism, and constructive internal deliberation.
  3. Disseminating or promoting false, manipulated, or malicious information about other members or the movement’s collective decisions for the purpose of obtaining personal or electoral advantages.
  4. Organizing or participating in harassment, discrediting, or digital lynching campaigns on social media against other members, representatives, or candidates for elected office, including the use of anonymous accounts, bots, or disinformation networks.
  5. Making unsubstantiated complaints to internal or external bodies as a tactic of pressure, denigration, revenge, or political competition.
  6. Using public institutions as tools of intimidation or political persecution, or to inhibit the participation of candidates in election processes.
  7. Obstructing, ignoring, or contravening processes, agreements, or collective decisions adopted by the party’s statutory bodies.
  8. Leaking or manipulating internal information to the media or external actors with the purpose of generating division, distrust, or confrontation among members, representatives, or candidates for elected office.
  9. Participating or intervening in any way in the creation of organizations or political parties other than our own, as well as directly or indirectly promoting or supporting platforms, candidacies, or electoral strategies of other political forces with which Morena is not allied.
  10. Imposing conditions of subordination, exclusion, or discrimination against members, representatives, or candidates for elected office due to their ethnic origin, social status, gender, age, disability, social condition, health conditions, religion, opinions, sexual orientation, marital status, or any other condition that impairs the free exercise of their political rights.

IV. PROHIBITION OF NEPOTISM

Guiding Principle: We do not seek power for power’s sake, but rather the well-being of the people
and the transformation of the country. No one may hold office for reasons of family relations.

Conduct contrary to the principles of the Movement:

  1. Participating in the election for a municipal presidency, councilorship, municipal council, federal or local deputy, senatorship, governorship, Head of Government, Presidency of the Republic, or any other position within the party, when one has or has had, within the last three years prior to the day of the election, a marriage, common-law marriage, or civil relationship, or a relationship by blood or civil relationship in a direct line without limitation of degree and in a collateral line up to the fourth degree, or by affinity up to the second degree, with the person holding the office for which one is running.
  2. Seeking nomination by an allied political party other than Morena, whether national or local, under any coalition or joint candidacy, for the purpose of circumventing the prohibition referred to in the previous paragraph.

V. DEMOCRATIC VALUES

Guiding Principle: Morena promotes the construction of a true democracy in its internal bodies, in which elections are truly free, authentic, and free from power groups or interests, factions, or movements. Public offices must be faithful to the popular mandate so that the population can directly decide on the matters that concern them. The will of the people is respected, early campaign events are prohibited, and all practices of old politics, such as vote-rigging, distribution of food supplies, manipulation, and coercion of the vote, are rejected.

Conduct contrary to the principles of the Movement:

  1. Participating in the delivery or promise of payments, gifts, commissions, candidacies, welfare programs, public services, or other consideration in exchange for obtaining support, voting or abstaining from voting in a particular direction, or participating in political or proselytizing events.
  2. Obstructing the participation of members or their representatives in internal party assemblies or processes.
  3. Intervening in, promoting, or tolerating clientelist or corporate schemes for political-electoral purposes.
  4. Using the party’s name, emblem, or platform to promote personal, union, or group interests.
  5. Using lies or deception as a tactic to persuade voters, formulating false or unrealistic proposals or promises in accordance with the scope of the assignment.
  6. Using public resources, welfare programs, or private financing schemes to promote a public servant’s image and position them among the public for political-electoral purposes outside of the legal pre-campaign or campaign periods, or to influence in any way the fairness of an electoral contest.
  7. Using or promoting sexist, classist, racist, sexist, or discriminatory behavior or language in speeches, positions, electoral propaganda, or any form of political expression.
  8. Registering as a candidate for an elected position without accrediting at least one recent ethics and political training activity organized by the National Institute for Political Training (INFP).
  9. Performing or tolerating acts intended to manipulate or distort the results of surveys, drawing lots, counts, or any other internal selection or deliberation mechanism.
  10. Imposing methods of voting by a show of hands or demanding photographic evidence to prove the voter’s intention to guide or coerce the will of the person casting it.

First. These Guidelines will enter into force and be applicable upon approval by the Morena National Council and must be published on the website www.morena.org.

Second. The National Commission for Honesty and Justice is instructed, using the powers of Article 26 of the Commission’s Regulations, to monitor compliance with these guidelines and, where appropriate, initiate the corresponding procedures.

Third. The National Elections Commission is instructed, within the framework of the 2025-2026 and subsequent electoral processes, to observe the criteria established in these guidelines to assess the political background, ethical attributes, and affinity with the party’s causes of individuals seeking to participate in the constitutional processes for the election of pre-candidacies and candidates for Morena, in addition to the constitutional, legal, regulatory, and internal norms that govern federal and local electoral processes.

Fourth. The governing bodies and national and state executives of Morena are instructed to take the necessary actions to raise awareness among the political parties allied to the Fourth Transformation, whether registered nationally or state-wide, and invite them to adopt the same measures as in this agreement within the framework of full political support, aimed at building the second stage of the Fourth Transformation of our country in accordance with the democratic and ethical principles that underpin this common cause.

Mexico City, May 4, 2025