Photo: Jacqueline García / Impremedia
By: Arsinoé Orihuela Jr. /@arsinoeorihuela Updated 10 Aug 2022, 3: 10 am EDT
Next Saturday 13 in August, the Assemblies of Mexicans Abroad will be held, within the framework of the renewal process of the internal bodies of the Morena Party, and of the Call to the III Ordinary National Congress that will take place on 17 Y 18 September in Mexico City.
It should be noted that all can attend without exception, regardless of their status in the electoral body (credentialed or not) and/or their immigration status abroad. The day will encompass two fundamental exercises: the affiliation or ratification of affiliation to the Morena Party, and the election of 140 National Congressmen who will represent, in the Congress of Mexicans Abroad and the Ordinary National Congress, the Mexicans living abroad.
From the International Coordination of the National Institute for Political Training (CI-INFP) we have co-organized some informative sessions to publicize the logistical, technical and administrative details of such a process. We are convinced that the only way to guarantee the transparency, certainty and success of this unprecedented extraterritorial exercise is through large-scale disclosure of the rules that govern the process. This concise publication responds to such an effort: clear doubts, dispel confusion and inform as comprehensively as possible. In advance extending an apology if our efforts fall short.
- Because it is important
- Who can participate
- How will the Congress of Mexicans Abroad be integrated
The participation of Mexicans abroad is perhaps doubly important because our own biographies contain, by themselves, some of the humiliations and injustices that the Government of the Transformation aspires to combat and overcome: from forced exile for economic or security reasons to institutional orphanhood that emigration implies, coexist and work in conditions of extreme vulnerability. Mexico is one of the countries with the highest expulsion in the world. And, for this reason, the voice of the compatriots abroad must be heard loud and far. This process is not intended only to ratify members of a Party, but to add more and more workers to the transformation of Mexico and incorporate its large diaspora into the political events of the Homeland that saw them born.
All Mexicans without exception can join the Party. It is only necessary to go to one of the 08 Assemblies-Centers of Voting designated, present your voting card issued by the National Electoral Institute (INE) or some other official identification of the place of residence, and proof of affiliation that can be generated and printed in the following link: https://morena.org /unique-affiliation-format/. Only those who have completed their registration on the Convocatoria microsite can be voted for National Congressmen: https://renovacion.morena.app/Convocatorias. It should be clarified that the proof of affiliation also confers the right to vote for a man and a woman who will integrate, in the case of receiving the necessary votes, the Congress of Mexicans Abroad and the III Ordinary National Congress.
Unlike the methodology that was implemented in Mexico, in the case of foreign countries there will not be multiple electoral districts but only a single district. This means that it will be possible to vote for compañeras and compañeros who reside anywhere abroad and not necessarily for those who reside in the Voting Center where they cast their vote. To put it in plain terms, it is a general election in which they may be elected until 140 National Congressmen not subject to a specific constituency. Such Congressmen will be empowered to integrate the Congress of Mexicans Abroad, which will take place on 13 and 15 of September, and the III Ordinary National Congress, which will take place on 13 and 18 in September, both in Mexico City. Many militants abroad have expressed –perhaps legitimately– their bewilderment at the loss of autonomy of the Assemblies and local committees, and the unexpected innovation of the
- general election. The militancy of Europe has also expressed concern about the suppression of their right to participate in such a process. Without a doubt, these are organizational omissions that the corresponding commanders will try to correct.
- Where the Assemblies will be held and the Voting Centers will be installed
- Colophon
The Assemblies of Mexicans Abroad will be held in two countries: the United States and Canada. Nine locations are confirmed: Arizona, California, South Carolina, Illinois, Nevada, New York, Ontario, Oregon and Texas. All locations except California and Texas will host a single Assembly. To locate the nearest Assembly-Voting Center, you can consult the following link: https://mexicanosenelextranjero.morena.app/centro_de_votacion. In order for the vote of the respective venue to be valid, the guideline of a minimum quorum of 100 people-voters. Note that such requirement does not apply to affiliation. That is to say, proof of affiliation that is collected, proof of affiliation that is registered in the official register.
Marginal gloss: the microsite of the Call announces that due to force majeure “the vote of the headquarters located in San Bernardino County is cancelled”, which was contemplated in the original publication. It is recommended to the countrymen and women of that locality that they take the corresponding precautions and go to the nearest Voting Center.
We all have the obligation to help preserve the integrity of the process. Each table will have a representative from the Secretariat of Mexicans Abroad and International Policy (SMEPI) and a notary who will attest to the general process. It is important that they go to these accredited personnel in the event of observing any anomaly. And never forget that the coercion of the vote is the very first of many evils that workerism
- aspires to eradicate.
Paisana, paisano: Together we will history!
Arsinoé Orihuela Jr., is the INFP liaison in the United States. /@arsinoeorihuela