The head of Mexico’s National Electoral Institute will resign amid allegations of corruption, a decision President Claudia Sheinbaum said she supports—marking the most high-profile departure tied to alleged corruption in her two-year-old presidency.
INE chief Guadalupe Taddei’s planned resignation raises fresh questions over the credibility and leadership of the autonomous electoral authority as it prepares for the 2027 midterms. Earlier this year, lawmakers rejected Sheinbaum’s broader attempt to reform Mexico’s electoral system before later supporting a narrower package of changes.
“There couldn’t be this shadow of a conflict of interest. It’s good that she made the decision to step aside,” Sheinbaum said at her daily press conference, while rejecting the notion that the resignation pointed to a political crisis.
Mexico’s Superior Audit Office is investigating alleged irregularities involving INE contracts, including possible conflicts of interest and the triangulation of public funds. Taddei has been accused in local news outlets of favoring an INE contractor, with whom she has a personal relationship, with contracts worth millions of dollars.
In a Sunday statement announcing her planned resignation, Taddei said rumors, fabricated material, and leaks had spread through the media and social networks, and that their authenticity must be verified. She said the move aimed to protect the INE and allow it to fulfill its constitutional mission.
Antonio Ocaranza, a consultant and former spokesman for President Ernesto Zedillo, called Taddei’s exit “a necessary and timely correction,” warning that the INE’s credibility is essential ahead of hotly contested 2027 elections. Opposition PRI President Alejandro Moreno said the resignation should not be used to “impose another person close to Morena.”
Source: Reuters, October 26, 2026
