By Raul Cortes
MEXICO CITY, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Mexico’s National Electoral Institute (INE) promised on Tuesday to carry out an exhaustive, independent and transparent overhaul to guarantee its continuity, after its chief resigned over allegations of irregularities and corruption.
The leadership upheaval raises fresh questions over the credibility and stability of the autonomous authority as it prepares to oversee Mexico’s 2027 midterm elections.
Lawmakers face the task of choosing a permanent successor to Guadalupe Taddei to steer the INE through an increasingly contentious political environment.
“It is a good time for whoever takes office to exercise transparency and ensure that no department within the National Electoral Institute favors any particular side, and that the Institute fulfills its duties,” Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said at her daily press conference.
INE’s top members announced several measures to overcome the crisis at an unusual press conference led by Blanca Cruz, who earlier was named as interim president. Her designation is due to be formalized later on Tuesday. Cruz, an electoral adviser, joined the INE’s General Council in April.
“The provisional presidency has a clear responsibility: to facilitate dialogue, ensure institutional continuity, and contribute to the decisions that are being shaped through deliberation and consensus,” Cruz said at the press conference.
Taddei resigned on Monday in the most high-profile departure tied to alleged corruption in Sheinbaum’s two-year-old presidency. Sheinbaum said she supported Taddei’s decision.
Mexico’s Superior Audit Office is investigating alleged irregularities involving INE contracts, including possible conflicts of interest and the triangulation of public funds. Taddei, in local news outlets, has been accused of favoring an INE contractor, with whom she has a personal relationship, with contracts worth millions of dollars.
Cruz said the INE council was reviewing officials in decision-making roles, adding that three senior officials had already resigned: the heads of IT Services and the Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination Unit, and the official responsible for material resources. Local media described all three as members of Taddei’s inner circle.
Taddei has not spoken publicly since resigning.
“Over the past few days, rumors, fabricated material, leaks, and versions of events have spread through the media and social networks, and as in all such cases, their authenticity, context, and purpose must be verified and corroborated,” she said in a statement on Sunday announcing her planned resignation.
(Reporting by Raúl Cortés Fernández; additional reporting by Diego Ore; Editing by Cassandra Garrison and Sonali Paul)
