An eye on pre-campaigns: the IFE makes some advances on monitoring candidates' expenses.

A few weeks before the official beginning of the 2006 federal electoral process, the political debate has centered on the excessive expenses incurred by the potential presidential candidates. As stated recently by Luis Carlos Ugalde, president of the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE), Mexico has left behind the age of fraudulent elections, but has entered into an era of excessive campaign spending.

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Even though the federal legislators have left in the lurch the reforms on electoral legislation (not only to reduce the limits to the spending in campaigns, but also to integrate better tools to the electoral authorities to monitor these expenses), the IFE has made advances.

Recently, the General Assembly of the IFE passed an accord to financially monitor the pre-campaigns of the aspiring presidential candidates. The purpose is to guarantee better conditions of equality and transparency in the electoral race.

For the first time, the moment in which aspiring presidential candidates register for internal competition within their parties, the financial assistance provided by their support networks will be monitored by the IFE. Furthermore, the political parties are obligated to turn in receipts to their financial supporters.

On the other hand, the IFE is exhorting the presidential hopefuls to voluntarily submit an outline of all expenses incurred before the official registration takes place. When the IFE presents the results of the campaign finance review and the information provided by the presidential hopefuls, the Mexican electorate will have greater criteria to define who should receive their vote in July, 2006.

PRD only candidate

On July 29, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador left his position as chief of the Federal District Government to register as the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) candidate for the presidency. He leaves the capital city government with an enviable level of popularity and a rate of approval of 76%, according to the latest survey conducted by the daily Reforma. However, the Tabasco-born politician also vacates his post amidst several criticisms centering on the transparency of his expenditures. About public security, the Mexico City government has been incapable of halting the wave of kidnappings that have plagued the capital.

Outside of the government, Lopez Obrador was not well-received by specific groups within his own party, who do not agree with his proposed policies for the government and reject his use of political power. What's more, the leader of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), sub-commander Marcos, has taken every effort to disqualify Lopez Obrador and his "Alternative Government" project, calling into question his leftist affiliation.

On August 4, Mexican Transparency announced the results of a novel internal process within Democratic Unity, better known as Tucom (Everyone United against Madrazo), to elect their presidential candidate for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

The Tucom selected as its pre-candidate Arturo Montiel Rojas, governor of the State of Mexico. Since all group members accepted the result of the election, the Tucom is becoming stronger as a group and as a factor of unity within the PRI.

While Roberto Madrazo is perceived within the PRI as a factor of division, who does not respect agreements and imposes decisions, Tucom and its hopeful have positioned themselves on the opposite side. With the idea that the established rules were respected by all, they are viewed amongst the other PRI groups as trust-worthy enabling decision making.

With this recent action of Tucom, the PRI legitimizes to a great extent its internal process to select a presidential candidate and fills an important part of the political vacancy left behind by the end of the PRI dominance over the Mexican presidency. Now, the PRI faces a significant challenge in ensuring that Madrazo and Montiel do not divide the party.

Joel Estudillo Rendon is a member of the board of the Mexican Institute for Political Studies.