Mexico

Since 1993, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has been collaborating with the National Electoral Institute (INE) (formerly the Federal Electoral Institute [IFE]) to advance the democratic process in Mexico. IFES has observed electoral processes throughout Mexico; participated in workshops and conferences facilitated by the INE and its predecessor the IFE; conducted applied, comparative research activities; and most recently is working to promote implementation of disability rights legislation in the country. Recent activities include:

• Co-leading an assessment on the current status of the implementation of national and international legal frameworks on disability as part of Mobility International USA’s (MIUSA) RightsNow! Consortium;
• Partnering with the INE and the Organization of American States to facilitate a forum on inclusion of persons with disabilities in the electoral process in September 2014;
• Conducting a study on the regulation and oversight of political parties’ financial resources during the 2012 elections with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP);
• Partnering with the IFE and the UNDP to facilitate training on campaign finance in October 2011. Senior electoral officers from 13 Latin American countries participated;
• The 2011 IFES publication Guidelines for Understanding, Adjudicating, and Resolving Disputes in Elections (GUARDE) features the IFES partnership with the Mexican Electoral Court of the Federal Judiciary. A chapter of the book is devoted to case studies and comparative analysis for use in designing and implementing training programs for election arbiters; and
• Under the RightsNow Consortium, IFES continues to work to further the political rights of persons with disabilities.