People’s Mañanera November 5

ByPedro Gellert

Every day, President Claudia Sheinbaum gives a morning presidential press conference and Mexico Solidarity Media posts English language summaries, translated by Mexico Solidarity’s Pedro Gellert. Previous press conference summaries are available here.

Investigation Reveals Electoral Mafia that Operated for 27 Years in the INE
President Claudia Sheinbaum revealed the existence of a business network with 27 years of National Electoral Institute (INE) contracts totalling more than 2.60 billion pesos (US$140 million), secured through sham bids and front companies. Its ties extend to former INE officials and figures currently linked to the newly established political party SOMOS. They were involved in recently resigned INE president Guadalupe Taddei’s web of corruption.

Hernández Casillas: From the Ministry of the Interior and CISEN to Electoral Business in the State of Mexico
Brothers José Alfredo and Reymundo Hernández Casillas began their careers at the Ministry of the Interior in 1983 and moved to the Center for Investigation and National Security (CISEN) in 1989. They then transitioned from civil servants to businessmen. Beginning in 1999, through Cartonera Plástica, they secured contracts with the Electoral Institute of the State of Mexico. That business led to a scandal that prompted the resignation of seven board members in 2005. The network extended to other electoral bodies, where family-owned companies allegedly fixed prices and pretended to compete, amassing more than 2 billion pesos (US$110 million) in contracts. The dispersal of funds to conceal the ultimate beneficiary is also under investigation. “This didn’t start with Taddei,” Sheinbaum emphasized.

Strengthening Talleres Gráficos
The President will present a decree requiring Talleres Gráficos to produce the majority of official election materials, with the Federal Superior Audit Division (ASF) serving as an observer and with academic participation. For ballot boxes and voting booths, the INE will open the bidding process to Mexican companies with clear pricing, transparency, and a chain of custody.

The INE is requesting 47 billion pesos (US$2.53 billion) for 2027. President Sheinbaum explained that congressional deputies can adjust spending and safeguard public funds, but that “we cannot modify this.” She went on to note that the Executive Branch must incorporate the requests of other branches of government and autonomous agencies into the budget. It is up to the congressional deputies to adjust the INE’s 47 billion peso (US$2.53 billion) budget in accordance with actual needs.

Lie Detector

  • It is not true that UNESCO claimed that the Benito Juárez Scholarship/Stipend program reduced high school enrollment by 12%
  • It is not true that refineries in Mexico emit 67% more sulphur
  • It is not true that under direct orders, Mexicana de Aviación operated an aircraft that did not yet have the necessary permits to carry passengers
  • It is not true that the Mexican government promotes fuel theft