In an exclusive report by FRANCE 24 journalists Laurence Cuvillier and Matthieu Comin, Mexican voters describe incidents of election fraud during the runup to the country’s July 1 presidential elections.
More than a week after Mexico headed to the polls for the country’s presidential ballot, not even this weekend’s partial vote recount over the weekend has been enough to quell allegations of election fraud. In an exclusive report by FRANCE 24 journalists Laurence Cuvillier and Matthieu Comin, voters in Mexico openly state they received up to 80 euros in gifts in exchange for their support of the country’s Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).
“They get in touch with us and ask us to get a group of people together. The payment comes later”, voter Adriana Carrillo said matter-of-factly to the camera. To Carrillo, who supports PRI, the practice is “very normal”. Other PRI supporters say they were given a kilo of eggs, beans and rice each month in exchange for registering with the party’s local headquarters.
PRI has flatly denied the allegations. According to Gérardo Garcia, a PRI campaign coordinator, not a single person was given “a penny” for their support.
In Mexico, vote-buying is considered a criminal offense. Yet after decades of election fraud, many have simply become used to the practice, giving some the impression that the country could almost be defined as an empty democracy or the perfect dictatorship.
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