 |
|
|
 News Around the Republic of Mexico | November 2007 
Mexican Electoral Reform Becomes Law, Bans Paid TV and Radio Advertisements
 Associated Press
go to original
| | During the 2006 presidential elections, 56 percent of campaign spending went to television and radio ads. |
Mexico City – A broad electoral reform that bars political parties from paying for radio and television advertisements became law Tuesday after it received Mexican President Felipe Calderón's approval.
The law was published in the government's official registry. Congress has 30 days to approve companion legislation and to replace all board members of the semiautonomous Federal Electoral Institute that oversees Mexico's elections.
Approved by Congress in September and later by a majority of Mexico's 31 states, the law requires television and radio stations to broadcast free political ads for up to 48 minutes a day. It also puts a six-month cap on presidential campaigning and prohibits political parties from insulting institutions and candidates.
The political-ad provision has infuriated the powerful broadcast industry, and some intellectuals have expressed concern that the wholesale removal of the electoral institute's members will threaten its independence.
Others say the board has always been politicized, and that it was necessary for Calderón to support the reform in order to obtain congressional backing for his own fiscal reform plan. That bill passed in September.
During the 2006 presidential elections, 56 percent of campaign spending went to television and radio ads, with the dominant Televisa and TV Azteca networks raking in the vast majority of the cash, the electoral institute reported. |
| |
|
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us