Mexico City – In a ruling that could have far-reaching implications for future elections here, an international tribunal has ruled that Mexico’s government cannot prevent Jorge Castaneda, a controversial writer and former foreign minister, from mounting an independent campaign for president.
The Washington-based Inter-American Commission on Human Rights voted 6-1 to request that Mexico adopt “precautionary measures” that would allow Castaneda’s name to appear on the ballot in next year’s vote.
Mexico is one of several Latin American countries that have recognized the commission’s authority to rule on domestic matters, but it remained unclear whether this week’s decision would force the government to place Castaneda on the ballot.
In effect, the commission said that a Mexican law requiring all candidates for office to be members of registered political parties violated Castaneda’s human rights.
“This is an important step forward for Mexican democracy,” Castaneda said Tuesday at a news conference announcing the ruling, which had been issued the day before.
“At the municipal level, in state elections, at all levels of government, independent candidates should be allowed to run for office,” he said.
The legal counsel of Mexico’s Federal Electoral Institute, which oversees elections, said the ruling was merely a “recommendation” and that it was up to the nation’s Congress to pass the law that would allow candidates to run without being affiliated with a party.
