217.1. The citizens that wish to exercise their right as electoral observers should subject themselves to the following basis:

a) They can participate only when they have obtained their accreditation before the electoral authority on time;

b) The citizens that wish to act as observers should mention their personal identification information in the written request and attach a photocopy of their voter card, and should include the express statement that they will handle themselves according to the principles of impartiality, objectivity, certainty and legality without ties to any party or political organization;

c) The request for registration to participate as an electoral observer can be presented personally or through the organization to which they belong before the local or district council corresponding to their address as of the beginning of the electoral process and until April 30 of the year of the election. The presidents of the local and district councils, depending on the case, will give an account of the requests to the councils for their approval in the next session held. The decision that is issued should be notified to the applicants. The General Council and the Local Public Bodies will guarantee this right and will resolve any proposal that is presented by the citizens or the interested organization;

d) The accreditation is only awarded to the citizens that fulfill, apart from those set out by the electoral authority, the following requirements:

1. To be Mexican citizens in full possession and exercise of their civil and political rights;


2. To not hold nor having held a national, state or municipal management position in any political organization or party in the last three years before the election;


3. To not be or to have been a candidate for an elective of f ce in the last three years before the election, and


4. To participate in the training, preparation or information courses given by the Institute and the Local Public Bodies or by the organizations to which the electoral observers belong under the guidelines and contents dictated by the competent authorities of the Institutes, which can supervise said courses. The lack of supervision non-attributable to the respective organization will not be cause for denying accreditation;

e) The observers will refrain from:

1. Substituting or obstructing the electoral authorities in the exercise of their functions, and interfering in the development of the same;


2. Making any type or proselytism or demonstrating in favor of any party of candidate;


3. Expressing any offensive remark, defamation or slander against the institutions, electoral authorities, political parties or candidates, and


4. Declaring the victory of any political party or candidate;

f) The observation can take place in any territorial area of the Mexican Republic;

g) The citizens accredited as electoral observers can request, before the corresponding local board and Local Public Bodies, the electoral information that they need for the best development of their activities. Said information will be provided as long as it is not secret or con f dential in the terms set out by the law and that the material and technical possibilities are in place for its delivery;

h) In the contents of the training that the Institute provides to the officials of the directive boards of the polling stations, it should anticipate the explanation regarding the presence of the electoral observers, as well as the rights and obligations inherent to their roles;

i) The electoral observers can present themselves on Election Day with their accreditation and identification is one or several polling stations, as well as in the office of the corresponding Councils, being allowed to observe the following actions:

1. The set-up of the polling station;


2. The development of the voting;


3. The scrutiny and count of the voting in the polling station;


4. The posting of the results outside of the polling station;


5. The closing of the polling stations;


6. The reading aloud of the results in the district council, and


7. The reception of the incident statements and written objections;

j) The observers can present, before the electoral authority, a report on their activities in the terms and times determined by the General Council for this effect. The reports, judgments, opinions or conclusions of the observers will under no circumstances have a juridical effect on the electoral process and its results.

2. The organizations to which the electoral observers belong should, no later than thirty days after Election Day, declare the source, amount and use of the financing they obtain for the development of their activities directly related to the electoral observation that they carry out, through a report that they present to the General Council.