Head of Mexico's electoral authority to resign amid corruption allegations

Guadalupe Taddei, head of Mexico’s National Electoral Institute (INE), is stepping down amid corruption allegations, a decision President Claudia Sheinbaum said she supports.

Taddei announced the decision on Sunday and was due to formally present her resignation on Monday, Reuters reported. The Straits Times, carrying the same Reuters report, described it as the most high-profile departure tied to alleged corruption in Sheinbaum’s two-year-old presidency.

Taddei has been accused in local news outlets of favouring an INE contractor, with whom she has a personal relationship, with contracts worth millions of dollars, Reuters reported. Mexico’s Superior Audit Office is investigating alleged irregularities involving INE contracts, including possible conflicts of interest and the triangulation of public funds, according to the Straits Times.

“This decision reflects my conviction that protecting the institute, and allowing it to continue fulfilling its constitutional mission, must always take precedence over any circumstantial or personal interest,” Taddei said. She also said that rumours, fabricated material and leaks had spread in recent days and that their authenticity, context and purpose must be verified and corroborated.

Sheinbaum said at her daily press conference: “There couldn’t be this shadow of a conflict of interest. It’s good that she made the decision to step aside,” while rejecting the notion that the resignation pointed to a political crisis. She said an investigation into the possible conflict of interest was necessary, but criticised what she described as a public lynching of Taddei.

The move raises fresh questions over the credibility and leadership of the autonomous electoral authority as it prepares for the 2027 midterms, the Straits Times reported. Lawmakers rejected Sheinbaum’s broader attempt to reform Mexico’s electoral system earlier this year, though they later supported a narrower package of changes. Antonio Ocaranza, a consultant and former spokesman for President Ernesto Zedillo, called Taddei’s exit “a necessary and timely correction”.

Sources: Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/head-mexicos-electoral-authority-resigns-amid-corruption-allegations-2026-10-26/); The Straits Times (https://www.straitstimes.com/world/head-of-mexicos-electoral-authority-resigns-amid-corruption-allegations).