INE internal cleanup plan after Guadalupe Taddei administration, Digi Mart USA News (Mexico): The General Council of Mexico’s National Electoral Institute (INE) approved 19 measures to address an internal crisis linked to irregular conduct during the administration of former council president Guadalupe Taddei, according to the publisher report.
Among the approved measures, the INE will order the Executive Secretariat to conduct an external audit of Taddei’s administration, implement an IT safeguard to prevent the destruction of documentation, prepare the corresponding complaints or referrals, and include citizen witnesses in new hiring processes.
Councilor Arturo Castillo blamed a reform approved by Morena in Congress that gave the INE council president extraordinary powers to appoint senior officials. He said this left the council unable to effectively oversee the administration, a factor he described as significant in the current crisis.
He also called on the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) to consider acting ex officio and to assess whether Article 19 of the Constitution applies.
The INE’s first action will be to ask the Superior Audit Office of the Federation (ASF) to urgently and prioritize an investigation and legal, management and performance review of officials involved in procurement, leasing of movable property and services for the period from November 3, 2016 to November 3, 2026.
The institute will also order external audits of all current contracts. If irregularities are found, contracts may be rescinded, subject to the applicable legal and contractual requirements and procedures.
All areas and public servants holding documentation related to the review must preserve it immediately. The INE will also set up a secure, confidential institutional mechanism through which staff can report relevant information, while protecting personal data, information integrity, record traceability and, where applicable, the safety of whistleblowers.
The Executive Administration Directorate, requesting and technical areas, contract administrators, and local and district executive boards must provide the ASF with legally required information. Within five business days, the Executive Secretariat must compile an inventory of contracting and operations for the period, broken down by fiscal year, responsible unit, procedure, supplier, purpose, amount contracted and paid, modifications, receipt, non-compliance and measures applied.
The INE argued that citizen participation is key to transparency, and it will instruct the Executive Administration Directorate to include social witnesses in pending contracts for the current fiscal year.
