President Claudia Sheinbaum denied on Wednesday that the proposal to advance the recall referendum to 2027 would create a political disadvantage for the opposition, stating that the initiative's goal is to optimize public resources by holding the exercise in the same year as midterm and local elections. During her morning press conference at the National Palace, the head of state recalled that the recall referendum mechanism is already in the Constitution and was a proposal promoted by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to strengthen accountability and citizen participation. «They would have to explain why they would be at a disadvantage, because we do not see the recall referendum as a risk, but as an achievement of the Mexican people,» Sheinbaum reiterated. She repeated that the federal deputies' proposal aims only to adjust the date of the referendum, scheduled for 2028, so that it coincides with the election of governors, legislators, and local authorities. «It has to do with the decision that the same resources to be used for the midterm election are also used for the recall referendum and that ballot boxes and urns do not have to be set up again the following year,» she explained. The president emphasized that the initiative is not being approved «in a rush,» but rather to open a broad and transparent debate in the Congress of the Union about its technical and financial feasibility. Sheinbaum insisted that the discussion must focus on the efficiency of public spending and not on political competition. «What is important is that the public knows the arguments and it is clearly discussed why the date is being advanced,» she said, stressing that savings and the joint organization of electoral processes are the main reasons for the proposal.
