Mexican Deputies Propose 5 Billion Peso Cut to National Electoral Institute for 2027

ByFernando Camacho and Enrique Méndez

This article by Fernando Camacho and Enrique Méndez originally appeared in the October 30, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

Mexico City. The Budget and Public Accounts Committee of the Chamber of Deputies proposes a cut of 5 billion pesos to the spending proposed by the National Electoral Institute (INE), an amount that will be redistributed to areas such as environmental protection, the improvement of educational infrastructure, and the search for disappeared persons and civil aviation.

The draft opinion on the 2027 Federal Expenditure Budget Project (PPEF) –which has already begun circulating among the legislators on said committee– indicates that the cut to INE funds would be carried out without putting the body’s functions at risk, which would allow it to continue the process of organizing next year’s elections.

Originally, the INE had requested funds of 47,010 million pesos for 2027, which already included a precautionary budget of 4,736 million pesos for holding citizen consultations, and public financing for parties of 10,842 million.

According to the document of the San Lázaro Budget Committee, of the 5 billion that would be taken from the electoral body’s budget, 3 billion would go to the La Escuela Es Nuestra program of the Secretariat of Public Education, whose objective is to improve the physical conditions, infrastructure and services of basic and upper-secondary schools.

Another 1 billion would be allocated to the environmental sector, while 700 million would be redirected to the Federal Civil Aviation Agency and 300 million more to the National Search Commission for Persons (CNBP), a body under the Secretariat of Governance responsible for defining, carrying out and coordinating actions to search for, locate and identify disappeared and missing persons.

The 2027 PPEF Raises INE’s Resources Compared to Past Elections

With the changes, the 2027 PPEF considers an amount of 42,274.5 million pesos for the INE, a figure 20,437.3 million pesos higher than the 2026 PEF. Of the amount projected for fiscal year 2027, 8,913.5 million pesos are proposed for the guaranteed prerogatives of political parties, while 33,361.0 million pesos are planned for the institutional activity Democracy Preserved and Strengthened, through the organization of national elections, the promotion of citizen participation and the promotion of the development of the party system.

In this regard, the budgets approved in 2021 and in 2024 -years in which elections were held- amounted to 26,819 million pesos and 32,767.0 million pesos respectively, figures that, updated to 2027 prices, correspond to 34,799.9 million pesos and 36,665.5 million pesos, respectively.

In this context, the budget projected for the INE in fiscal year 2027 shows increases of 21.5 percent with respect to 2021 and of 15.3 percent with respect to 2024, figures that show amounts above what was approved for the years cited in which elections were also held.

“In light of the above, the Budget Committee considers it viable to reduce the INE’s budget by approximately 15 percent, equivalent to 5 billion pesos, so that in this way the body will have a budget allocation of 37,275.0 million pesos in 2027,” the project explains.

This proposal would not put the exercise of the INE’s functions at risk -according to the analysis carried out- and will allow it to continue organizing the concurrent 2026-2027 federal electoral process and guarantee the prerogatives of political parties and the exercise of citizens’ political-electoral rights.

Increases for the Search for Disappeared Persons

As for the CNBP, it is estimated that although this program shows a nominal increase of 8.0 million pesos for 2027, “the truth is that, in real terms this represents a decrease of 2.5 percent, which is why it is proposed to reallocate 300 million pesos,” so that the Local Search Commissions are reinforced in improving their technical and operational capacities and actions to search for, locate and identify persons are implemented through the granting of budgetary support aimed at strengthening these actions.

As for the Federal Civil Aviation Agency, the 2027 PPEF provides for an allocation of 175.4 million pesos, which contrasts with the 685 million pesos approved for it in the 2026 PEF.

The drafting Committee proposed reallocating resources to that body in the amount of 700 million pesos, so that it has a budget allocation of 875.4 million pesos in 2027.

This “will allow it to be in a position to comply with what is established in the National Air Navigation Plan, which includes a 15-year strategic vision that seeks to align the body’s operations with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization, consolidating safe, efficient and constantly growing aviation in order to recognize civil aviation as a strategic sector for Mexico’s connectivity and economic development.”

More Funds for Schools and the Environment

As for the La Escuela es Nuestra program, the Budget Committee found that its budget allocation in the 2027 PPEF amounts to 20 billion pesos, which represents a decrease of 25.5 percent in real terms compared to the amount approved in the 2026 PEF.

“In view of the above, a reallocation of resources of 3 billion pesos is proposed, so that the program has a budget allocation of 23 billion pesos in 2027, in order to continue improving the infrastructure, equipment and school services of public basic and upper-secondary education communities, prioritizing the principle of progressivity of rights in the public education system.”

As for Branch 16, Environment and Natural Resources, it has 49,508.3 million pesos with which it will maintain a comprehensive environmental policy aimed at guaranteeing every person’s right to a healthy environment.

However, “a budget reallocation of 1.0 billion pesos is proposed, so that in 2027 it has a budget allocation of 50,508.3 million pesos, contributing to the well-being of the population and the sustainable development of the country,” the document indicated.