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Critics say they are assessing the dangers of election tampering and creating new ways to challenge legitimate results.
A lower court in Mexico has approved changes to the law to allow elections to be annulled in the event of electoral fraud, which critics say could undermine confidence in elections and create new ways to challenge official results.
The proposal passed on Thursday in the Chamber of Deputies with 307 votes, 128 against and one against.
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It will add foreign interference to the list of reasons why an election can be declared invalid.
The amendment, which will not affect the next election in June 2027, still requires Senate approval.
The amendment defines foreign interference as “illegal financing, disinformation, systematic dissemination, computer hacking, and interference by foreign governments or organizations”.
It also covers political, economic, diplomatic, or public interest issues.
Ricardo Monreal, the leader of Morena’s ruling party in the lower court, defended this as an important safeguard for Mexican democracy, saying that strong legal protections are needed to prevent foreign actors from manipulating the results of the elections.
Translation: “After more than 30 consecutive hours of work, we in the lower court of Mexico approved the reforms to promote elections, judicial decisions and democratic governance in Mexico.”
Opposition lawmakers accused the ruling party of using threats to justify the change.
Mr Monreal on Thursday also asked politicians to remove the second law that would have established how the government can detect international interference and use new pretexts to obstruct elections.
The party said there is not enough time to enact the laws before the 2027 general election deadline.
Election reform must be implemented no later than ninety (90) days before the election process begins.
Sheinbaum warns of the risk of foreign interference
The change comes amid growing concern within Morena’s party over what it sees as increasing foreign influence in Mexico.
In recent weeks, the party’s protests have been criticized by foreign politicians and US President Donald Trump’s comments as examples of foreign pressure that can affect domestic politics.
“There could be a risk of tampering with the Mexican elections,” President Claudia Sheinbaum said in her daily press conference after the legislative vote.
Sheinbaum said he also noted past transactions involving foreign financing of candidates and Mexican organizations.
Jose Elias Lixa, coordinator of the opposition National Action Party (PAN), rejected suggestions that opposition to the reform was helping to destabilize the country.
“We don’t accept this kind of conflict,” Lixa told lawmakers.
“It would be like saying that those who oppose canceling elections because of terrorist interference are opposing the fight against crime.”
Ruben Moreira Valdez of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) said his party opposes the intervention of foreign countries but doubts how the new laws will be implemented.
“We reject any intervention,” Valdez said. “The problem is that we are in a conflict that interferes with intervention, which are different things.”
Valdez also warned that the amendment’s broad language could create uncertainty as lawmakers begin drafting secondary legislation necessary to implement it.
“What would happen if someone buys advertising abroad, if an international story is published in Mexico, or if the conflict of interest is used to ban ideological content?” he said.
