Mexico’s electoral institute rejects Somos logo and orders party to remove national map

Mexico’s National Electoral Institute has rejected another proposed emblem from the Somos party, ruling that replacing the initials “MX” with a map of Mexico did not resolve the identity problem previously identified by electoral authorities.

The institute said the map, combined with the word “Somos,” created an unmistakable symbol of national identity. In its view, the design could suggest that the party represented the country as a whole, giving it an unfair advantage over other political forces and violating the Electoral Tribunal’s order that party symbols serve only a distinctive function.

The General Council ordered Somos to submit a new proposal within 48 hours. The party’s statutes assign responsibility for issuing or changing its basic documents to its National Assembly, while allowing its General Secretariat to address INE observations and submit the required documentation in exceptional circumstances.

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The law does not give it the authority to judge a party in the way it is doing at this moment. It is an arbitrary act and an assault on freedom of association and political rights.

After the extraordinary session ended around midnight, Somos submitted a third version of its institutional image to the INE. During the session, party representative Emilio Álvarez Icaza argued that the institute had exceeded its authority. He said officials had allowed the organization to use the name and logo “Somos México” for 20 months, hold nearly 400 assemblies and gather almost 300,000 citizens.

"The law does not give it the authority to judge a party in the way it is doing at this moment. It is an arbitrary act and an assault on freedom of association and political rights," Álvarez Icaza said. He added: "They may impose another name on us and demand another emblem, but they cannot erase our origin or our causes. People will continue calling us Somos México, with or without permission."

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They may impose another name on us and demand another emblem, but they cannot erase our origin or our causes. People will continue calling us Somos México, with or without permission.