On June 13, the Specialized Room of the Electoral Tribunal of the Judicial Branch of the Federation (TEPJF) determined that the President Andrés Manuel López Obrador incurred political violence in gender reason against former presidential candidate by Force and Heart coalition for Mexico (PRI, PAN, PRD), the engineer Xochitl Galvezfor his statements in 8 of his morning conferences held during the months of July and August 2023. This decision was based on the consideration that “those expressions in which the head of the Federal Executive affirms that the complainant obtained a candidacy by decision of a group of people with political power, yes update the parameters of the violation”.
During that period, the president issued comments such as the following: “Diego, Fox, Salinas, Claudio X González imposed on Mrs. Xochitl“They chose her because they think they are going to cheat with a woman who was born in a town in Hidalgo and speaks colloquially and directly.”
He TEPJ stated that he reached that conclusion because “it is configured violence symbolic in order to undermine the recognition of their political rightsbased on her character as a woman and indigenous, by reinforcing the stereotype of inferiority or dependence to access public positions.”
In the political sphere, the violence against women on the basis of gender seeks to unfairly restrict their participation in public life solely because of their gender status. It is imperative to keep in mind that, according to the most recent Protocol on the matter published by the INE, it is defined as: “Any action or omission, including tolerance, based on gender elements and exercised in the public or private sphere, which has the purpose of object or result to limit, annul or impair the effective exercise of the political and electoral rights of one or more women…”
In my opinion, the statements by the president they could omit the merits of Xochitl to reach the presidential candidacy, but in no way does it constitute political violence based on gender. Firstly, her expressions lack the gender elements established in the law necessary for their configuration, since they are not based on the fact that Xóchitl is a woman, that is, they are not based on gender prejudices and stereotypes. The president’s statement is not focused on the feminine of Xóchitl.
In the same vein, the president does not suggest that Xóchitl is indigenous, much less does he make derogatory comments towards indigenous peoples. She simply refers, in her capacity as a woman, to her origin in a specific environment. In the colloquial context, when mentioning someone as coming from a town, she commonly alludes to her origin from a smaller, rural or less urbanized community. Unlike indigenous identity, which implies belonging to an ethnic group native to a specific region, with a particular culture, language and traditions. Along these lines, the political rights of the former candidate are not undermined either since the alleged subordination that is argued as symbolic violence on the part of the TEPJF is not evident.
In the political arena, it is known that public figures are exposed to certain statements that can be the subject of political debate and do not necessarily constitute violence. Furthermore, it is equally incoherent that political gender violence is reported due to the president’s expressions, in the face of Marko Cortés’ cries of complaints about the performance, work and decisions of the former candidate, to which she responded that: “when a man becomes aggressive , ignores it, I think that hurts them more.”
Are the cries of the PAN leader ignored, but the president denounced?
The classification of political gender violence is the result of women’s struggle for our political rights. It should not be used as a political weapon, so as not to pervert its meaning and thus punish those who really commit it. Advancing substantive equality is the main challenge. It is crucial to approach this issue with caution so as not to backslide, especially at a time where women are reaching positions of power.
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Additionally, she studied English for two years at the University of Lake County in Illinois and has a Diploma in Human Rights from a Gender Perspective from the National Human Rights Commission.
Originally from Culiacán, Sinaloa, she lives in Mexico City, where she has worked in different federal agencies, recently as director of Budget Evaluation in the General Directorate of Programming and Budget, and Area Director in the General Directorate of Material Resources and General Services of the Ministry of the Interior. Currently, she is Secretary of Presentation Support in the Federal Judiciary Council of the Judicial Branch of the Federation.
She has specialized in issues of gender equality, labor matters and human rights through courses and research work. She has participated as a guest columnist in various media outlets, and has also been invited to participate as a commentator on the Mexican Government’s Radio Education.
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