Mexico Congress Approves Three Morena-Aligned INE Counselors in 334–127 Vote

Mexico's Chamber of Deputies approved three new General Council members for the National Electoral Institute (INE) by a 334–127 vote on the evening of April 21, with official publication and wider reporting on April 22. The three approved counselors are: Frida Denisse Gómez Puga (former counselor of the Electoral Institute of Tamaulipas), Blanca Yassahara Cruz García (president of the Electoral Institute of Puebla), and Arturo Manuel Chávez López — director of Talleres Gráficos de México (a federal printing house under the Interior Ministry) and former advisor to Sheinbaum during her tenure as Mexico City mayor. The selections drew sharp criticism from opposition parties: PAN deputy Germán Martínez called the process a 'fraud' and labeled the outcome an 'INE morenista' (Morena-controlled electoral body); PRI's coordinator characterized it as 'a kidnapping of democracy'; Movimiento Ciudadano's Ivonne Ortega filed a formal protest, reporting she was not informed of the vote until the last moment. The three new counselors will serve through 2035 — covering the critical 2027 midterm elections — giving the ruling coalition a significant long-term institutional footprint in electoral oversight.