Mexico’s Senate has passed a major reform to the body charged with overseeing the country’s elections.
With the Senate vote in favor and previous approvalby Mexico’s lower house of Congress, the reform is expected to go into effect as soon as it's signed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. He has been the principal force behind overhauling the National Electoral Institute.
A watered-down version of an earlier reform effort that failed last year that has been dubbed "Plan B," the measure will reduce the electoral institute’s budget, close local offices and diminish its ability to sanction politicians and parties that violate election laws, among other changes.
Many have expressed concern that the reform will weaken democracy in Mexico. Protests have already been scheduled and legal challenges are expected.
But López Obrador has dismissed criticism and said Thursday that controversy is a normal part of a democracy.
