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Reuters
Reuters
Politics

Mexico's buck-toothed cartoon president ruled 'electoral violation'

FILE PHOTO: A street vendor displays a doll depicting Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador as people gather before Obrador's address of the nation on the first anniversary of his presidential election victory at Zocalo Square in Mexico City, Mexico, July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso/File Photo

A buck-toothed cartoon version of Mexico's president constitutes an "electoral violation," the country's electoral tribunal ruled Wednesday, arguing use of the popular caricature in official propaganda gave party candidates an unfair advantage.

The tribunal said it was sanctioning President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's ruling Morena party for "using the caricature of the President of the Republic in its propaganda, which violates the constitutional principles of neutrality and fair contest."

Designed by Mexican caricaturist Jose Hernandez, the image of the 69-year-old head of state with tousled gray hair, two large, protruding front teeth and an affable childlike grin giving a thumbs-up gesture, was popularized during Lopez Obrador's first presidential bid ahead of the 2006 elections.

FILE PHOTO: Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks on the third anniversary of his government in Mexico City, Mexico December 1, 2021. REUTERS/Henry Romero

Affectionately known as "Amlito" - a diminutive reference to the president's initials, AMLO - the cartoon has since been reproduced on dolls, key chains, baked goods, banners and, crucially, a May 2022 post on Morena's Twitter account promoting six party candidates for local gubernatorial elections.

The tribunal's upper chamber ruled there was "constitutional and legal basis" to sanction the message, arguing the image of the popular head of state should not have been used as propaganda for a contest in which he was not a candidate.

It argued "capitalizing on the image" of the president, whose approval rating hovers around 60%, gave his party's candidates an undue advantage.

FILE PHOTO: A supporter of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, presidential candidate for the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) wears a caricature mask of him at a rally to protest against the result of last weekend's election in Mexico City's Zocalo square July 8, 2006.REUTERS/Jorge Silva (MEXICO)/File Photo

The chamber called on "political-electoral propaganda campaigns" to limit themselves to candidates, their proposals, party ideology and platforms. Morena had earlier appealed, arguing there was no legal ban in force on using the caricature.

"Now the (electoral tribunal) has confirmed the action was illegal and sanctioned them," Jorge Alvarez, an opposition party organizer who filed the complaint, said in a tweet. "We will continue the fight through legal channels."

(Reporting by Sarah Morland; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)

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