Chiapas removes financing to political parties for 2018

Unanimously, the Congress in Chiapas voted in favor of eliminating the public financing of political parties for the upcoming 2018 General Elections , and has allocated said resources to help the victims of the 8.2 magnitude earthquake, which hit the state last September 7 .

The proposal was presented by the current president of the Political Coordination Board of the local Legislature, Eduardo Ramírez Aguilar , amending Article 52 of the Election and Citizen's Participation Code of Chiapas.

He emphasized that next year, those aspiring to public offices – governors, local deputies and other officials – will have to run with their own resources because the money of their campaigns will be used to rebuild the disaster areas.

Mr. Aguilar also clarified that no political party will be left at a disadvantage, given electoral laws allow private financing through members and sympathizers as an alternative source.

The government of Chiapas released a statement claiming this modification represents an estimated total savings of 250 million of Mexican pesos – 165 million MXN in regular financing and 85 million in MXN in campaign allowances.

However, this figure still has some irregularities, according to Mauricio Mendoza , representative of the Green Party before the National Electoral Institute (INE) and the Institute of Elections and Citizen Participation (IEPIC) in Chiapas, who explained the approximate total amount should be 684 millions of Mexican pesos – 500 million MXN for campaign allowances and 184 million MXN for ordinary expenses for the 2017-2018 term.

The governor of the state , Manuel Velasco, has supported the reform agreed on the local Congress.

“Extraordinary times – like the ones we face today – require extraordinary measures, such as the ones proposed by the citizens to aid the earthquake victims,” he said.

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