Sheinbaum’s second act: a trimmed electoral reform
After the resounding slam of the door she received last week in the Chamber of Deputies, Claudia Sheinbaum did not sit idly by. This Tuesday he presented his ‘Plan B’, a new electoral reform proposal that seeks to cut expenses but with a more surgical approach than the previous one.
The first initiative, which proposed drastically reducing funds for parties and the electoral authority, was rejected even by its own allies. It was a hard blow for the president. Now he returns to the fray, but with tactical changes.
Less privileges, more control
The Secretary of the Interior, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, was clear in the morning: they are looking for “less privileges and more citizen participation”. The core of this new proposal aims directly at the pockets.
“They must make the commitment to spend what is fair. Generate savings that can be invested in social infrastructure, in the municipalities,” declared Rodríguez.
Here is the concrete thing: local congresses will not be able to spend more than 0.7% of the state budget. The council members are reduced to a maximum of 15. And there is a key adjustment: no electoral official will be able to earn more than the president herself.
Bonuses, major health insurance and other additional income for these positions are eliminated. It is a political message as clear as it is forceful.
The hot spot: party money
This was the minefield where the first initiative exploded. Morena’s allies –PT and Verde– stood up to cuts that especially affected small parties. Sheinbaum learned his lesson.
Now she proposes reforms to secondary laws to prevent party leaders from earning more than her, and requires greater financial transparency. But it does not directly touch the base budget of the political forces.
Instead, it seeks to give teeth to the inspection: that the Financial Intelligence Unit can review campaign expenses and avoid illicit resources or foreign financing. It’s a strategic shift: less front trimming, more control.
Sheinbaum ruled out submitting this issue to citizen consultation – another request from his allies – arguing that there are already sufficient mechanisms.
Other changes on the table
The reform maintains the mandate revocation consultation, but proposes holding it on the first Sunday in June of the third or fourth year of government (2027 or 2028). It also speeds up the electoral calculations: they would begin when the first package arrives, without waiting days like now.
And there is a progressive cut for the Senate: up to 15% less than the current budget. Every peso counts in this new scenario.
What this second act tells us
Sheinbaum is playing political chess after his first failed move. This ‘Plan B’ is less ambitious in scope but more precise in its objectives. It reduces expenses without strangling small parties – the previous mistake – and concentrates its narrative on privileges versus austerity.
It is pure political theater: showing firmness after a parliamentary defeat, adjusting the strategy without losing the original direction. The president knows that every decision has real consequences – her father taught her this – and this time she seems to have calculated her steps better.
Congress will have the last word. But after the initial slam of the door, Sheinbaum has at least managed to reopen the conversation with a proposal that seems designed to generate less resistance. The second act begins.
