MEXICO · POLITICS
Key Facts
- Who Guadalupe Taddei resigned as president of INE, Mexico's election authority, in late October.
- Statement On Wednesday 11 November the president said her government has no knowledge that Taddei left Mexico.
- Migration records The National Migration Institute told her such records are personal data and cannot be made public.
- Contracts Suppliers won election-material contracts worth over 2 billion pesos (about US$107 million) since 2014, she said.
- Power Index
Mexico's president says she does not know whether the former head of the country's election authority has left Mexico, as a contracts scandal widens.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Wednesday 11 November that her government has no information that Guadalupe Taddei, the former president of the National Electoral Institute (INE), has left Mexico. “No tenemos ningún conocimiento de que ella haya salido del país,” she told her morning press conference, meaning “we have no knowledge that she has left the country”.
Taddei announced her resignation on 25 October, effective 26 October, saying she wanted to protect the stability, credibility and independence of INE, Publimetro, a Mexican news site, reported. The question matters beyond Mexico because INE organises the 2027 midterm elections, and a scandal around its leadership touches the credibility of Mexico’s democracy, a key partner of the United States.
What Sheinbaum Said
Sheinbaum said she had asked the National Migration Institute (INM), the federal agency that records who enters and leaves Mexico, about Taddei’s movements. According to her, the INM replied that migration records cannot be made public because they are personal data, Zeta Tijuana, a Baja California news outlet, reported.
The president did not say that Taddei is accused of any crime, and no charge against her has been reported. Her whereabouts are not stated in the report we cite.
The Contracts Behind the Scandal
Sheinbaum said a group of suppliers has received contracts worth more than 2 billion pesos (about US$107 million at 18.61 pesos per dollar) since 2014 to provide electoral materials to INE. She asked the Superior Audit Office of the Federation (ASF), Mexico’s federal auditor, to investigate, and the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) to step in if crimes are found.
She said the review should cover previous administrations at INE, not only Taddei’s time in office. Elsewhere on 11 November she said the alleged dealings began before Taddei, Milenio, a Mexican newspaper, reported; we cover that in our report on her 2027 election remarks.
What Happens Next
The Chamber of Deputies, Mexico’s lower house, is to choose a new INE president, and a provisional head named by INE’s General Council leads the institute meanwhile. Earlier steps are in our reports on Taddei’s resignation and on the opposition’s conditions for her successor.
What It Means for You
Foreign companies and investors watch INE because a trusted vote count underpins political stability in Mexico, the United States’ neighbour and a large trading partner. For now the practical effect is limited, since the 2027 vote is months away and the audit and prosecutor steps have only been requested.
What Is Not Known
It is not known where Taddei is, whether she has any travel plans, or whether the auditors or prosecutors will find wrongdoing. Neither she nor her representatives were quoted in the report we cite.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Guadalupe Taddei leave Mexico?
President Claudia Sheinbaum said on 11 November that her government has no information that she did. Migration records are not public, she said.
Who is Guadalupe Taddei?
She was president of INE, Mexico's National Electoral Institute, until she resigned in late October. INE organises federal elections.
Which contracts are being reviewed?
Sheinbaum said suppliers received contracts worth over 2 billion pesos since 2014 for electoral materials. She asked the federal auditor to investigate.
Sources: Zeta Tijuana (11 November 2026); Milenio (11 November 2026); Publimetro (26 October 2026)
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