Las reformas al Cofipe, 2007

this article examines the changes to the mexican constitution and the regulatory framework contained in the cofipe, made by legislators in 2007, as a response (in part) to the events surrounding the disputed 2006 presidential election. these changes include, among many others: a) the provision of free media time for electoral advertisements and the corresponding prohibition of television and radio spots paid by the parties or other interested actors; b) the removal (read firing) of several ife 's councilors, including the president of the general council, in a move that was read by many as political payback; c) changes to the bureaucratic structure of the ife, which will have the effect of weakening the agency's autonomy; d) the prohibition of using the politicians' personal images in public service announcements, and e) the introduction of a new form of calculating the amount of public financing each party receives from the public coffers. as a consequence of this reform, the political parties in mexico have strengthened their political position against both the owners of the large media consortia and the ife.