Auditors flag missing contract records
Puebla's electoral authority hired Comercializadora JVLY for 129,700,584 pesos to supply materials for the state's 2024 local elections. Cruz headed the authority, known as the Local Public Electoral Organization (OPLE), from 2022 to 2026.
Information released by the State Audit Office in April 2026 showed that the authority had not supplied key records to support the contract. Auditors said they were not provided with authorization confirming sufficient budget funds, the company's legal documentation, or its technical and financial proposals.
According to Infobae, the agreement was formalized in March 2024 and ran from March 3 through April 15 of that year. It covered ballot boxes, voting booths, boxes, envelopes, electoral courier services, and materials for simulations and poll-worker training. Puebla's electoral institute organized the election in which Alejandro Armenta won the governorship.
Responding to the allegations on October 27, Cruz said she had nothing to hide and that her work, including 15 years in the Professional Electoral Service, could be reviewed with full transparency. She also said audits involve procedures that take time before conclusions can be reached.
The supplier's INE contracts
The scrutiny also extends to JVLY's dealings with the INE. Publicly reported allegations describe the company as a recurring contractor during Guadalupe Taddei's presidency and say Mexico's Superior Audit Office of the Federation (ASF) accused it of billing for services that were not provided.
Latinus reported that the ASF's review of the 2024 public accounts identified a probable loss to public funds exceeding 63.2 million pesos on an INE contract with JVLY. The electoral body had not provided sufficient records to establish that all contracted electoral materials were delivered. Auditors also detected transfers of resources to eight other companies.
JVLY shared a legal representative with Formas Finas, a company in the business network belonging to brothers José Alfredo and Raymundo Francisco Hernández Casillas, according to Latinus. The ASF also reported an address discrepancy during INE oversight visits in 2024: the address for JVLY differed from the one in its contract and corresponded instead to supplier Formas Finas y Materiales.
Other allegations in Puebla
Infobae also reported challenges to vote counts and spending during Cruz's Puebla tenure. Mario Riestra Piña, then the PAN candidate for mayor of Puebla, alleged that the 2024 counts had been altered, including a transfer of more than 27,000 votes from Morena to its allied party Fuerza por México.
Spending on the Preliminary Electoral Results Program (PREP) was also questioned. The contract with Grupo Proisi was for 55 million pesos, while the cost was alleged to have reached 68 million pesos after operating expenses were included.
A provisional appointment after Taddei's resignation
Taddei resigned as INE president on October 26 amid investigations into possible conflicts of interest and irregular contracting. The institute's General Council unanimously chose Cruz the following day to serve provisionally until the Chamber of Deputies completes the process of selecting a permanent president for the remainder of Taddei's nine-year term.
Cruz's temporary presidency is distinct from her nine-year term as an INE electoral councilor. The Chamber of Deputies appointed her to that position on April 21, 2026; she took office on April 22, and her term runs through April 21, 2035.
Contract halt and internal reviews
Among her first actions as interim president, Cruz ordered a halt to the issuance of new contracts and a review of agreements still in force, according to El Siglo de Torreón. She also directed a review of the qualifications and backgrounds of staff imposed during Taddei's administration.
Cruz said she would not exercise the expanded presidential powers granted to her predecessor, known as "superpoderes," and would instead have decisions made collectively.
By October 27, three INE officials had submitted resignations amid the scandal surrounding Taddei's administration: Gender Unit head Iliana Rodríguez Gómez, IT Services coordinator José Alberto Pérez de Acha, and Material Resources and Services director Mario Burciaga.
