Senator Gerardo Fernández Noroña challenged the Electoral Tribunal of Michoacán to explain its ruling that sanctions him for political gender violence against the mayor of Uruapan, Grecia Quiroz. The legislator described the ruling as 'absurd' and claimed it aims to inhibit political debate.
The Morena senator Gerardo Fernández Noroña has issued a direct challenge to the Electoral Tribunal of the State of Michoacán following the unanimous ruling that declared him responsible for political violence against women on the grounds of gender to the detriment of the mayor of Uruapan, Grecia Quiroz García. In a video shared on his social media, Noroña demanded that the presiding magistrate Amelí Gissel Navarro Lepe and the other tribunal members publicly explain the legal arguments behind their ruling.
“I want to ask you to publicly explain, because you do not state it in your ruling, how you arrived at such a profound conclusion,” the legislator stated, who believes the ruling lacks legal basis and poses a risk to political debate between men and women.
The statements that prompted the sanction
The tribunal's ruling stemmed from various statements made by Noroña against Grecia Quiroz, who had requested an investigation into Morena politicians for the murder of her husband, the then mayor of Uruapan, Carlos Manzo Rodríguez. Among other remarks, the senator claimed that “her political ambition was awakened,” labelled her as “irresponsible,” asserted that she was using her husband's murder for political purposes, called her “fascist,” and stated that she would seek the governorship of Michoacán.
The tribunal considered that these statements transcended political criticism and constituted gender violence, as they sought to discredit and delegitimize Grecia Quiroz in the exercise of her political-electoral rights. As part of the sanction, Noroña was ordered to issue a public apology and to withdraw or modify the content shared on social media.
Noroña defends his right to debate
In his response, Fernández Noroña argued that his comments are part of normal political debate and questioned why they were treated differently because they were directed at a woman. “If I tell a man who takes over from his murdered wife that his accusation is irresponsible, that he has an evident electoral intention, that his ambition has been awakened, and that he is a fascist, you would tell me that this is political gender violence. But if I say it to a woman, it is political gender violence. What you are proposing is absurd,” he asserted.
The senator insisted that labelling an accusation as irresponsible, pointing out an electoral intention, or defining a stance as “fascist” does not constitute political gender violence under current legislation. “In what part of the legislation on political gender violence can you support such arbitrariness?” he questioned, asserting that the ruling aims to inhibit political debate between men and women.
A concerning precedent
Noroña warned that the ruling sets a serious precedent by limiting political interaction between genders. “They are trying to set a very serious precedent, which is that there cannot be political debate between a woman and a man, because any response given by the man is considered political gender violence,” he declared. The legislator also stated that the ruling affects his reputation and seeks to limit his political activity. “They want to label me as a violator, which is an infamy. They are trying to close off my path to political activity and are contributing to the smear campaigns that the right constantly directs against me. I will not accept this,” he concluded.
So far, the Electoral Tribunal of the State of Michoacán has not responded to Noroña's public challenge. The controversial ruling has sparked intense debate on social media and within the Mexican political sphere, where positions on the limits of political criticism and protection against gender violence intersect.
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