Businessman Ricardo Salinas Pliego sparked controversy after suggesting that people receiving social assistance should not have the right to vote, arguing that these programs could be used for electoral purposes.
On social media, the president of Grupo Salinas posed a hypothetical scenario to his followers: if they were president, would they consider expanding social programs, but only on the condition that those receiving these resources not participate in elections?
“If you were president, would you consider expanding social programs, but with one condition: Anyone receiving financial assistance with Mexican taxpayers’ money should not be able to vote,” wrote the owner of Elektra, questioning the use of public funds in politics.
The businessman maintained that public money should not be used to “buy elections” or to influence the votes of the most vulnerable sectors. In his message, he warned that these practices create political dependency and represent a form of corruption.
“Mexican taxpayers’ money should not be used to buy elections or to extort the most needy in exchange for their votes. Using Mexican taxpayers’ money to build networks of political dependency is one of the most perverse forms of public corruption,” Salinas Pliego stated.
He also asserted that government aid should be protected from any electoral use, since, in his view, conditioning economic need on political power undermines civic freedom and the legitimacy of the vote.
“The handouts the government gives to people must be protected from any electoral use, because when people’s needs are conditioned on political power, both the freedom of the citizen and the legitimacy of the vote are destroyed,” the magnate wrote.
The proposal sparked a heated debate on social media, where users expressed opposing views. While some agreed with the criticism of the electoral use of social programs, others considered the idea a violation of fundamental rights.
Experts and users pointed out that restricting the right to vote could contravene democratic principles established in the Constitution.
Source: debate
