🇲🇽Week of November 2

Federal security forces killed Edgar Aarón "N", known as "El General" and identified as the presumed leader of the Cártel Nuevo Imperio, in an operation in Naucalpan, State of Mexico. The federal government said authorities repelled an armed attack in the state. Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch confirmed the death.123

"El General" was accused of ordering the killing of Milton Morales, chief commissioner of the Mexico City Security Secretariat (SSC), and was described as the alleged mastermind of that homicide. The operation in which he died was reported under the name "El General."145

Mexico's financial intelligence unit (UIF) froze the bank accounts of Guadalupe Taddei, the former president of the National Electoral Institute (INE), and filed a complaint with the federal prosecutor's office (FGR), according to government sources. The freeze also covers Hernández Casillas and other people and companies that supplied the INE.123

Attributed claim: El Financiero put the scope at 24 people and 15 companies tied to the INE, while other outlets reported a total of 40 people and firms linked to electoral suppliers. The accounts were blocked over alleged diversions at the INE, and contracts are under investigation.456

Treasury (Hacienda) carried out the block on 40 individuals and companies connected to electoral contractors, a group that includes Taddei and Hernández Casillas. Sin Embargo described Hernández Casillas as the "electoral coyote."278

The action follows scandals during Taddei's tenure at the INE. INE councillors had agreed to prepare a complaint to the FGR over possible irregularities in the institute's management, naming officials and former officials including Taddei.41

Gabriel Rivas Ríos, a social activist and Morena councilman in the Cuernavaca municipal government, was shot dead on Wednesday afternoon in the Ejidos de Acapantzingo settlement, shortly after leaving the municipal building. El Financiero reported that Rivas Ríos had previously reported death threats against him. Reforma reported that he had gone that morning to carry out legal procedures.123

Rivas Ríos had pressed for a registry of illegal bars and for action on street vendors in central Cuernavaca, according to Imagen Radio. La Silla Rota referred to him as "the councilman of the people."45

Morena condemned the killing of Rivas Ríos and demanded justice, MVS Noticias reported. Sin Embargo reported that the case is under investigation.67

The federal government published a new digital payments law in the Diario Oficial de la Federación that will not allow cash in the sectors Hacienda determines. El Economista reported the measure as the Ley de Economía Digital, and El Horizonte described it as a law to promote digital payments and reduce cash use.123

Hacienda has 15 days to define the sectors and economic activities where collection must be fully digital. The Treasury will be able to set where digital payments are obligatory.45

Carlos Serrano wrote in El Financiero that the shift toward electronic payment methods would benefit the government, financial institutions and above all users and the economy as a whole, calling the law a very good step in the right direction.6

The law has drawn attention to Mexico's payment infrastructure: Capgemini said Mexico can use its payments infrastructure to widen banking access. El Economista reported that the Digital Economy Law has generated uncertainty among micro, small and medium-sized enterprises over costs and rules still pending.52

All ten councillors of Mexico's National Electoral Institute (INE) agreed to prepare a complaint to the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR) over possible irregularities in the institute's management, to be filed against officials and former officials. The referral names Guadalupe Taddei, the institute's former president, and covers possible crimes committed during her tenure.123

The complaint follows an internal review opened after Taddei resigned under pressure from a corruption scandal involving contractors, and it extends scrutiny to staff who served under her. Councillor Arturo Castillo has said the allegations against Taddei could amount to serious crimes warranting pre-trial detention, and that a referral to the FGR would concern illicit enrichment.143

The case has widened beyond the INE. Senator Alito Moreno is preparing his own complaints against Taddei before the UIF, the ASF and the FGR, and is demanding a "purge" at the institute. President Claudia Sheinbaum has said the next INE president must disclose expenses and has called for audits of both Taddei's and Lorenzo Córdova's tenures.54

A judge has formally declared Mexican commercial and charter airline Magnicharters bankrupt, with accumulated debts of 800 million pesos. The ruling opens a process to sell the carrier's assets to cover what it owes.12345

The bankruptcy declaration was reported by outlets across the political spectrum, from left-leaning La Jornada to centre-right Reforma and centre Milenio. El Imparcial described the ruling as coming from a federal judge and said the liquidation of assets is meant to pay the accumulated debt.1235

Coverage of the ruling was published on Tuesday, November 3, with further reports on Thursday, November 5. Eje Central framed the next stage around the asset sale and what will happen to the airline.645

The United States carried out limited "defensive" strikes on the Iranian island of Qeshm, according to a US official, hitting Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state television and other Iranian outlets, along with Al Jazeera, reported explosions heard on Qeshm the night before. US officials told The Wall Street Journal and the AP that the strikes came in the early hours of Tuesday.123

Oil prices rose after Iran said a peace agreement with Washington remains distant, with the Qeshm strikes adding to the uncertainty. La Jornada reported that Trump was speaking of peace with Iran while ordering the attack on the island in the Hormuz area.41

Two days after the strikes, Tehran was negotiating with Washington over reopening the Strait of Hormuz, according to MVS Noticias.5

President Claudia Sheinbaum said the Superior Audit Office (ASF) should report alleged irregularities from Guadalupe Taddei's tenure at the National Electoral Institute to the authorities rather than to legislators or the executive, and that if the audit turns up a criminal matter the ASF must file it with the FGR. She also called on Taddei to resign over alleged collusion with companies, and the Interior Ministry (Segob) and Alcalde warned her of prison, according to La Silla Rota's account.123

Sheinbaum said those who question the 2027 election "will bite their tongues." Lorenzo Córdova mocked those linking him to Taddei with the phrase "Chin, they discovered my master plan," a response that followed a newspaper column saying he had promoted Taddei's career for years.45

Córdova said the investigation into the INE has political motivations, MVS Noticias reported. The institute's internal review follows Taddei's resignation under pressure from a corruption scandal involving contractors, and Blanca Cruz García has announced a review of decision-making posts at the institute.6

Attributed claim: The dispute over the audit's handling is a question of procedure: Sheinbaum says the ASF, not legislators or the executive, should refer any criminal findings to the FGR, while Córdova casts the investigation itself as politically driven. Both accounts center on the same audit of Taddei's tenure at the INE.126

Dissident workers at Mexico's IMSS marched for a third time to demand a salary increase and the removal of union leader Rafael Olivos, and a new national megamarcha pressed the same demand to dismiss him. The mobilization follows earlier protests by public health staff that included blockades of federal highways.12

Divisions and competing leadership bids have emerged among the dissident IMSS workers, and the dispersal is taking a toll on the movement. In Puebla, workers are preparing a complaint against the Centro Federal de Conciliación over the salary increase, while a separate group plans to file a demand to annul the 8 percent salary agreement.345

US midterm elections are set to renew the entire House of Representatives, a third of the Senate, 36 state governorships and numerous state and municipal posts. Polling released ahead of the vote put Democrats ahead in six key Senate battleground states.12

A survey cited by La Nación put Democrats at 49.7 percent and Republicans at 44.4 percent in the midterm contest. El Financiero described the Senate battle as a virtual technical tie, with a slight and unstable advantage for the Democratic caucus.34

Democrats led in six of the seven Senate battleground states, while the race in Iowa was described as extremely close. The polling was attributed to the New York Times.56

The Michigan Senate race was described as chaotic, and disapproval of Donald Trump was reported at a record level. Trump was also described as both an advantage and a disadvantage for Republicans going into Tuesday's elections.7

Trump's allies in Latin America feared a defeat in the US midterms, and the region's stakes in the vote were a focus of coverage. For Mexico, the elections raised the question of what to expect from Washington after the vote.89