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Morena Denounces Alleged Vote Buying in Coahuila for 200 Pesos; 'Ballots Confirm QRGate!', Accuses
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ Mexico /Elections & Politics

Morena Denounces Alleged Vote Buying in Coahuila for 200 Pesos; 'Ballots Confirm QRGate!', Accuses

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • Mexico's Morena party alleges widespread vote-buying in Coahuila elections, citing evidence from ballot counts.
  • The party claims the PRI used a QR code system to facilitate payments for votes, calling it 'QRGate'.
  • Morena accuses the PRI of a systematic operation to coerce and buy votes, similar to alleged tactics used in Durango last year.

Mexico's ruling party, Morena, has leveled serious accusations of vote-buying against the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in the Coahuila state elections, presenting evidence allegedly found on ballots during the vote count. The party claims that PRI operatives offered voters approximately 200 pesos (around $12 USD) per vote for local deputy positions.

Morena shared images on social media purportedly showing messages and control marks on ballots, which they claim confirm a "systematic network of vote buying and coercion." The party questioned the legitimacy of the PRI's claims of a clean election, stating, "If everything was as 'clean' as the PRI claims, why do the evidences inside the ballot boxes tell a completely different story?" Morena alleges that this operation, dubbed 'QRGate,' is a refined version of tactics previously employed in the Durango state elections for municipal presidents last year.

The ballots confirm the QRGate! The district counts demonstrate what Morena denounced from day one: a systematic network of vote buying and coercion. If everything was as 'clean' as the PRI claims, why do the evidences inside the ballot boxes tell a completely different story?

โ€” MorenaAccusing the PRI of vote-buying based on ballot evidence.

Ariadna Montiel, Morena's national leader, detailed the alleged scheme in a press conference. She explained that PRI operators distributed QR codes days before and on election day. Voters were instructed to upload a photograph of their marked ballot showing a vote for the PRI to a platform using the QR code. Upon verification, individuals would allegedly receive payment, either through an Oxxo convenience store voucher or in cash, with the printed QR code serving as proof for payment.

We proposed a modus operandi of vote buying by the PRI, this mechanism was implemented in the same way in the election of municipal presidents in the state of Durango last year and they have been perfecting it.

โ€” Ariadna MontielDescribing the alleged vote-buying scheme and its alleged history.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.