INE leadership crisis following Guadalupe Taddei’s resignation, Digi Mart USA News (Mexico): Ten days after Guadalupe Taddei abruptly resigned as president of Mexico’s National Electoral Institute (INE), following reports of an alleged collusion with contractor Alfredo Hernández, the General Council met on Thursday with a noticeably thinner attendance as the institute moved to purge officials seen as close to her.
Councilors who had been divided for the past ten days set aside their differences and posed together for a photograph of unity. Provisional president Blanca Cruz also convened party representatives and councilors for a preliminary meeting ahead of the General Council session, a departure from the approach taken under Taddei.
Cruz García has chosen not to use the vehicle or the presidential office that Taddei left behind, and that office has remained closed since October 26, since Taddei has not yet formally handed it over. Cruz currently works from her office as a councilor.
Following the preliminary meeting, councilors Blanca Cruz, Carla Humphrey, Arturo Chávez and Martín Faz walked together, laughing and chatting, into the General Council chamber, where they joined colleagues Frida Gómez, Norma de la Cruz, Arturo Castillo, Rita Bell López and Jorge Montaño. The bloc that had existed during Taddei’s tenure dissolved that day.
Empty chairs were visible in the area reserved for members of the Junta General Ejecutiva, reflecting the resignations of officials close to Taddei, including Iliana Hernández, former head of the Gender Equality Unit; Carlos Luna, former office chief to Taddei; and Sergio Uzeta, former communications director, among others.
Other officials linked to Taddei reportedly remain at the institute, including María Fernanda Romo, head of the Unit for Liaison with Local Public Electoral Bodies; Mario Alejo, head of the Technical Oversight Unit; and Guadalupe Alarcón, head of the Technical Contentious Electoral Unit.
Regarding the purge, Councilor Blanca Cruz said the 30 resignations of officials stand and did not rule out that more could follow. She said the council is reviewing the entire structure, beginning with the head of the Junta General Ejecutiva, so that evaluations can be based on objective criteria and performance.
“If renewals need to be made, they will be made at the appropriate time,” she said.
After eight hours of session, the councilors unanimously approved a 19-measure plan to address the internal crisis caused by irregular conduct during the former council president’s tenure. The measures include an external audit of Taddei Zavala’s management, an IT safeguard to prevent the destruction of documentation, and citizen witnesses in future hiring processes.
Late in the evening, councilors were still finalizing a complaint to be filed with the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) against Taddei Zavala for alleged illicit enrichment, embezzlement, influence peddling, abuse of authority and unlawful use of public functions.
