Abstract

LANGSTON, Joy. Reforms to Cofipe, 2007. Polít. gob [online]. 2009, vol.16, n.spe2, pp.245-272. ISSN 1665-2037.

This article examines the changes to the Mexican Constitution and the regulatory framework contained in the Cofipe, made by legislators in 2007, as a response (in part) to the events surrounding the disputed 2006 presidential election. These changes include, among many others: a) the provision of free media time for electoral advertisements and the corresponding prohibition of television and radio spots paid by the parties or other interested actors; b) the removal (read firing) of several IFE 's councilors, including the President of the General Council, in a move that was read by many as political payback; c) changes to the bureaucratic structure of the IFE, which will have the effect of weakening the agency's autonomy; d) the prohibition of using the politicians' personal images in public service announcements, and e) the introduction of a new form of calculating the amount of public financing each party receives from the public coffers. As a consequence of this reform, the political parties in Mexico have strengthened their political position against both the owners of the large media consortia and the IFE.

Keywords : IFE; Cofipe; electoral reform.