Electoral Reform 'Plan B' Emerges After Congress Defeats Sheinbaum's Original Bill

After her first electoral reform bill was rejected in Congress on March 10, 2026 (259 votes for, 234 against — 71 short of the required two-thirds supermajority, with even coalition partners PVEM and PT voting against it), a revised 'Plan B' electoral reform proposal emerged. Under Plan B, a presidential recall election could be held in 2028 rather than 2027 as originally pledged by Sheinbaum. The defeat of the original reform exposed the limits of Morena's legislative control: despite holding a formal supermajority, key coalition partners refused to support the electoral reform package. Analysts at AS/COA noted the episode signals growing coalition fractures on politically sensitive legislation, even as the government advances on security and infrastructure fronts.