The possibility of an electoral debate being held for the first time in a Mexican prison is closer than ever. This was confirmed by Bernardo Valle, advisor to the Electoral Institute of Mexico City (IECM), in an interview with EL PAÍS this Wednesday. “The parties see it well, the authorities see it well, we are still seeing what the format would be,” Valles said. The face-to-face meeting is scheduled for April, within the framework of the local process that will be defined by the Head of Government of the capital. The IECM assures that there is the will of all the actors involved and hopes to make progress to finalize the possibility between this week and next, said the counselor. These will be the first elections in the country in which the prison population will be allowed to vote.
There are three possible sites that the electoral authorities are considering to hold the debate: a penitentiary in Iztapalapa, the Reclusorio Norte and the Reclusorio Sur. Valles clarified that the three candidates for the Head of Government are not expected to participate in the meeting: Clara Brugada from Morena, Santiago Taboada from the opposition coalition Va por la Ciudad de México and Salomón Chertorivski from Movimiento Ciudadano. Talks are underway to define whether representatives of the political parties or their leaders in the capital will do so. The electoral authorities are still analyzing what will be the topics to be debated and are seeking to allow prisoners to ask questions to the participants, although they are still reviewing what the mechanism will be so that they can send them.
Holding the debate in a prison contains complications that a meeting in other conditions does not have. Last Sunday's debate, for example, could not be seen by the inmates because it was broadcast at eight at night, when meetings are no longer allowed in the centers of the capital, although this Friday there will be a special broadcast at ten in the morning so that people deprived of their liberty can have more elements to cast their vote. The authorities anticipate that the April debate will necessarily be held during the day, in spaces within the prisons where the safety of the participants is guaranteed.
It will also not be possible to transfer inmates from other prisons, so they are fine-tuning the details so that it can be broadcast live in other prisons. The IECM and the National Electoral Institute reviewed this week the nominal list of those who will be able to vote in this election from prisons. There are 1,572 people detained, Valles explained. At first, there was talk of the possibility of between 6,000 and 7,000 people voting. The federal electoral authorities established that the requirements to participate were that people appear on the electoral roll and be in preventive detention, with a cutoff of information until December 31. Afterwards, invitations were sent to those who complied with these provisions.
The margin for holding the debate is reduced to April because it is expected that those 1,572 people will have to send their vote by mail in advance, on a date between May 6 and 20, like those who vote from abroad. Each inmate will receive four ballots, instead of the six ballots that the population will have to fill out in the elections on June 2. The prison population will vote for the Presidency of the Republic, the Head of Government, the Mayor's Office and a deputation to the local Congress. They will not be able to elect a senator or federal representative. They will also be provided by mail with the political platforms of the candidates in contention and a guide on how to vote, and courses will be given to inmates and guards to celebrate the elections.
The placement of screens inside penitentiary centers is also planned to guarantee the secrecy of the vote. The inmates who agreed to participate are mainly concentrated in the East Prison (787), the North Prison (324) and the South Prison (314). Also noteworthy is the Santa Martha Acatitla women's prison, where 120 women raised their hands to be part of the voting. The rest of the voters are in three other prisons. Valle stressed that the call is a “historical fact.” The IECM hopes to make the announcement of an unprecedented debate in the country in the coming days or weeks.
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