Tens of thousands protest Mexico electoral reforms

An Anti-government demonstrator dressed as independence hero Miguel Hidalgo, holds a sign that reads in Spanish "Do not touch INE, Motherland and Freedom," during a march against recent reforms pushed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to the country's electoral law that they say threaten democracy, in Mexico City's main square, The Zocalo, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) An Anti-government demonstrator dressed as independence hero Miguel Hidalgo, holds a sign that reads in Spanish "Do not touch INE, Motherland and Freedom," during a march against recent reforms pushed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to the country's electoral law that they say threaten democracy, in Mexico City's main square, The Zocalo, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

By Associated Press February 26, 2023 4 min read

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Tens of thousands of people filled Mexico City’s vast main plaza Sunday to protest President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s electoral law reforms that they say threaten democracy and could mark a return to the past.

The plaza is normally thought to hold nearly 100,000 people, but many protesters who couldn’t fit in the square spilled out onto nearby streets.

The marchers were clad mostly in white and pink — the color of the National Electoral Institute — and shouted slogans like “Don’t Touch my Vote!” Like a similar but somewhat larger march on Nov. 13, the marchers appeared somewhat more affluent than those at the average demonstration.

López Obrador’s reforms were passed last week. Once enacted, they would cut salaries, funding for local election offices and training for citizens who operate and oversee polling stations. They would also reduce sanctions for candidates who fail to report campaign spending.