Long lines and violent episodes in the largest elections in the history of Mexico

At the gates of a polling station in the Álamos neighborhood, in the interior of the Mexican capital, Lorena Vázquez proudly displays her ink-stained thumb after having participated in the largest elections in the country's history. He is 87 years old and has a long list of elections behind him, but he does not remember any appointment like this. To cast her vote, this octogenarian retiree had to stand in line for more than an hour, bring her mask, her own pen, and enter the center alone, leaving her family members outside.. The sanitary restrictions imposed by the pandemic have slowed down the voting process of an unprecedented appointment in which Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) aspires to strengthen his power in Mexico.

Vázquez has no problem recognizing that he has checked the box for the pro-government Morena on all the ballots, “the President (AMLO) needs all our support to approve his reforms,” he explains to EL MUNDO. Unlike her, Luís Marín, a 58-year-old electrician, has opted for the 'Va por México' coalition, which brings together the three main opposition parties, despite being ideologically antagonistic, “I still don't think part of my votes will go to the PAN, I never thought I would end up supporting them, but it's the only thing we can do to stop this president's feet.”. The long wait and the questions ignite the debate among the voters, in a scene that is repeated in the 163,000 polling stations set up throughout the country.

President López Obrador had to walk just a few meters to reach his polling station, located next to the National Palace where he resides.. The polling booth opened 53 minutes later than expected, in a clear example of the logistical problems that this appointment poses, and the first in line had to give up their place to the president and his wife, the historian Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller, who deposited your vote shortly after 9 a.m.. “Long live democracy!” AMLO expressed to the media before beginning his return to the Palace, from where he has followed the development of electoral day.

Nearly 100,000 National Guard agents have been deployed throughout the country to safeguard the integrity of one of the most violent electoral processes in living memory.. On the eve of the meeting, the political consultancy Etellekt confirmed in its latest update that, in the last eight months, there have been 910 attacks against politicians -a record number in the historical series- as well as 91 fatalities. Everything indicates that these figures will continue to grow during today's session. Three years ago, the same day that López Obrador won the elections, seven politicians were assassinated. Yesterday the day began with the murder of five militants of the PRD party in Chiapas and the unusual incident recorded in two polling stations in Tijuana, where two human heads were thrown.

In statements to EL MUNDO, the president of the National Electoral Institute, Lorenzo Córdova, points out that, despite the violence, the integrity of the process is guaranteed, “it is not that the election is the one that triggers this violence, but that violence is part of the ordinary landscape and we have to organize ourselves in that context. Violence against political actors is serious, but the organization of the election is not at risk”. Córdova recognizes that these elections are being “the most difficult in the last 30 years”, since “organizing elections in Mexico is complex, we have structural problems such as corruption or poverty and, now, we are facing a pandemic already the biggest elections in history”.

More than 93 million Mexicans were called to the polls this Sunday, although everything indicates that participation will be diminished by the pandemic. In a single day, 20,500 public positions at all levels will be renewed, including 15 governorships, 30 state assemblies, 1,923 city councils and 500 legislators from the Chamber of Deputies. All the polls agree that Morena could win at least 8 governorships, but would lose ground in the Lower House. López Obrador's objective is to obtain, together with his allies, a qualified majority that will allow him to undertake the profound reforms that his project requires -many of them imply modifying the Constitution- but the latest polls do not guarantee it.

After the closure of the polls decreed at eight o'clock last night, the quick count mechanism will draw a preliminary scenario of the results that must be validated by the official scrutiny. The INE has reiterated that they will be announced today, although it warns that, in remote parts of the country, the results could take several days to be confirmed.. Mexicans will live the next few hours “glued” to television to find out what color the political map is dyed in their mayor's office, municipality or state and, also, if López Obrador and his allies will be able to enjoy a great legislative capacity in the second half of the six-year.