Guadalupe Taddei Zavala, who has led the National Electoral Institute's General Council since being selected by lottery in 2023, has informed fellow members that she will not resign, despite persistent conflict-of-interest allegations. Because she refuses to step down, only two legal mechanisms could remove her: a political trial launched in the Chamber of Deputies, or the stripping of her immunity through criminal proceedings.
- Key Point: No resignation: Taddei rejects stepping down and denies any responsibility for contracts tied to provider José Alfredo Hernández Casillas.
- Key Point: Political trial: Congress could remove her and bar her from public office for one to twenty years through a Senate trial.
- Key Point: Immunity removal: A criminal complaint for possible diversion of funds or influence peddling is needed to trigger this route in the lower house.
- Key Point: Political will required: Morena and its allies would have to decide in San Lázaro to pursue either route.
The resignation that never came
This morning, during a virtual session of electoral counselors, many expected Taddei to announce her departure and for San Lázaro to begin the legal process for naming a successor quickly. Instead, she repeated that she is staying because she bears no responsibility for the contracts that the institution signed with companies owned by José Alfredo Hernández Casillas, a close associate. Pressure has mounted from political parties, former electoral counselors and public figures who see a conflict of interest and possible financial irregularities. Electoral legislation itself contains no direct procedure to remove the council president.
The day before, President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo said at her morning news conference that leaving the post was a personal decision for Taddei. Ricardo Monreal Ávila, who chairs the Political Coordination Board in the lower house, acknowledged that the Chamber cannot ask for her resignation and only urged her to reflect on the matter. Morena has not ruled out reviewing what it calls the “superpowers” granted to the council president. Article 41 of the Constitution refers to an “absolute vacancy” of the council president or any electoral counselor. If it occurs during the first six years, a substitute completes only the remaining time; if during the last three years, the replacement starts a full new term. The text does not specify what causes such a vacancy, though resignation or the conclusion of a removal procedure are possible.
Political trial: a congressional route with high thresholds
Under Article 110, electoral counselors and the INE’s executive secretary are treated like federal deputies, senators, ministers and magistrates for the purposes of a political trial. Any citizen may file a request, after which the Chamber of Deputies can start the process. A preliminary examination subcommittee reviews the complaint, and an instructing section then issues conclusions on whether the accusation should proceed. If an absolute majority approves the accusation, the case moves to the Senate, which sits as a Jury of Competence. There, the sanction requires a two-thirds vote of the legislators present: removal from office and disqualification from holding public office for one to twenty years.
Stripping immunity and the criminal path without the Senate
The second route is regulated by Article 111 and does not involve the Senate. To pursue criminal charges against INE electoral counselors, including the council president, for crimes committed while in office, the Chamber of Deputies must first declare whether there are grounds to proceed. This decision requires an absolute majority of the members present. A prior criminal complaint is needed, potentially alleging diversion of funds or influence peddling connected to the contracts awarded to Hernández Casillas.
“Si la resolución de la Cámara fuese negativa se suspenderá todo procedimiento ulterior, pero ello no será obstáculo para que la imputación por la comisión del delito continúe su curso cuando el inculpado haya concluido el ejercicio de su encargo, pues la misma no prejuzga los fundamentos de la imputación.”
“Si la Cámara declara que ha lugar a proceder, el sujeto quedará a disposición de las autoridades competentes para que actúen con arreglo a la ley.”
This option also depends on a political decision by Morena and its allies in San Lázaro to seek her removal.
With resignation ruled out, both remaining paths rest on the legislative branch. Neither is automatic: the political trial requires a citizen complaint, committee work and a qualified Senate vote; the immunity removal requires a prior criminal case and an absolute majority in the lower house. So far, no formal procedure has been activated, leaving the INE presidency under an unresolved cloud of conflict-of-interest accusations.