Federal Electoral Tribunal
Encyclopedia
The Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary ( or ) is a venue within the judiciary of Mexico
that specialises in electoral matters. Among its functions are resolving disputes arising within federal elections and certifying the validity of those elections, including those of the President of the Republic
.
(Responsibility for declaring a candidate the winner in presidential elections previously fell on the Chamber of Deputies
.)
It comprises a permanent seven-member Superior Chamber (Sala Superior), located in the Federal District, and five Regional Chambers (Salas Regionales), one in each of the circumscriptions into which the country is divided for purposes of organising congressional
elections. These Regional Chambers comprise three judges each, and are temporary in nature, sitting only during those years in which federal elections are held, and are based in the cities of Guadalajara
, Monterrey
, Xalapa
, Mexico City
, and Toluca
.
There were two direct precursors of the TEPJF:
The TEPJF is frequently referred to in the media by the acronym of its predecessor, the TRIFE.
The seven magistrates who currently sit in the Superior Chamber are:
's claims in the streets and in the press, on 5 August 2006 the Federal Electoral Tribunal declared in a unanimous ruling that the Alliance for the Good of All had failed to file valid complaints that would substantiate a claim for a complete national recount. Based on the valid complaints filed, the Tribunal ordered and conducted a recount of the votes in 9.07% of the precincts. In the partial recount, the Tribunal found that no evidence of widespread fraud. It did, however, find errors in the tally sheets and, in rectifying those errors, it corrected the final election results by adding and subtracting from each candidate to accord with the number of valid ballots cast for each. See Acuerdo relacionado con la ejecución de diversas sentencias interlocutorias emitidas el cinco de agosto de dos mil seis at http://www.trife.gob.mx/.
Based on those results, on 5 September 2006 the Tribunal certified the PAN candidate Felipe Calderón
as the lawfully elected next President of Mexico
. See Dictamen relativo al cómputo final de la elección de Presidente de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, declaración de validez de la elección y de presidente electo at http://www.trife.gob.mx/. Under law as reformed in the 1990s by Congress (including representatives of both the PAN and the PRD), this legal ruling of the independent Federal Electoral Tribunal is final.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
that specialises in electoral matters. Among its functions are resolving disputes arising within federal elections and certifying the validity of those elections, including those of the President of the Republic
President of Mexico
The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
.
(Responsibility for declaring a candidate the winner in presidential elections previously fell on the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Mexico
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Congress of the Union, Mexico's bicameral legislature. The structure and responsibilities of both chambers of Congress are defined in Articles 50 to 70 of the current constitution.-Composition:The Chamber of Deputies is composed of one federal...
.)
It comprises a permanent seven-member Superior Chamber (Sala Superior), located in the Federal District, and five Regional Chambers (Salas Regionales), one in each of the circumscriptions into which the country is divided for purposes of organising congressional
Congress of Mexico
The Congress of the Union is the legislative branch of the Mexican government...
elections. These Regional Chambers comprise three judges each, and are temporary in nature, sitting only during those years in which federal elections are held, and are based in the cities of Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
, Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
, Xalapa
Xalapa
Xalapa-Enríquez, commonly Xalapa or Jalapa, is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In the year 2005 census the city reported a population of 387,879 and the municipality of which it serves as municipal seat reported a population of...
, Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, and Toluca
Toluca
Toluca, formally known as Toluca de Lerdo, is the state capital of Mexico State as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. It is the center of a rapidly growing urban area, now the fifth largest in Mexico. It is located west-southwest of Mexico City and only about 40 minutes by car to the...
.
There were two direct precursors of the TEPJF:
- The Electoral Disputes Tribunal (Tribunal de lo Contencioso Electoral, TCE), an administrative (not judicial) body, that was in existence from 1986 to 1989.
- The Federal Electoral Tribunal (Tribunal Federal Electoral, TRIFE), created by means of a series of constitutional amendments enacted in 1990, the same reforms whereby the Federal Electoral InstituteFederal Electoral InstituteThe Federal Electoral Institute is an autonomous, public organization responsible for organizing federal elections in Mexico, that is, those related to the election of the President of the United Mexican States and to the election of the members of the Lower and Upper Chambers that constitute the ...
was established. This tribunal was superseded by the current Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary in 1996.
The TEPJF is frequently referred to in the media by the acronym of its predecessor, the TRIFE.
The seven magistrates who currently sit in the Superior Chamber are:
- Leonel Castillo González (president)
- Eloy Fuentes Cerda
- José Alejandro Luna Ramos
- Alfonsina Berta Navarro Hidalgo
- J. Fernando Ojesto Martínez Porcayo
- J. de Jesús Orozco Henríquez
- Mauro Miguel Reyes Zapata
2006
Notwithstanding Andrés Manuel López ObradorAndrés Manuel López Obrador
Andrés Manuel López Obrador , also known as AMLO or El Peje, is a Mexican politician who held the position of Head of Government of the Federal District from 2000 to 2005, before resigning in July 2005 to contend the 2006 presidential election, representing the unsuccessful Coalition for the Good...
's claims in the streets and in the press, on 5 August 2006 the Federal Electoral Tribunal declared in a unanimous ruling that the Alliance for the Good of All had failed to file valid complaints that would substantiate a claim for a complete national recount. Based on the valid complaints filed, the Tribunal ordered and conducted a recount of the votes in 9.07% of the precincts. In the partial recount, the Tribunal found that no evidence of widespread fraud. It did, however, find errors in the tally sheets and, in rectifying those errors, it corrected the final election results by adding and subtracting from each candidate to accord with the number of valid ballots cast for each. See Acuerdo relacionado con la ejecución de diversas sentencias interlocutorias emitidas el cinco de agosto de dos mil seis at http://www.trife.gob.mx/.
Based on those results, on 5 September 2006 the Tribunal certified the PAN candidate Felipe Calderón
Felipe Calderón
Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa is the current President of Mexico. He assumed office on December 1, 2006, and was elected for a single six-year term through 2012...
as the lawfully elected next President of Mexico
President of Mexico
The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
. See Dictamen relativo al cómputo final de la elección de Presidente de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, declaración de validez de la elección y de presidente electo at http://www.trife.gob.mx/. Under law as reformed in the 1990s by Congress (including representatives of both the PAN and the PRD), this legal ruling of the independent Federal Electoral Tribunal is final.