Mexico City, Mexico – The Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) reported that a total of 40,737 absentee votes were cast by Mexicans living abroad, 23 percent more than in the 2006 election. The institution received votes from 91 countries.

IFE counselor Francisco Guerrero said that he was pleased with the absentee ballot participation, adding that new technologies will be implemented for the next election.

"This election gave us the experience we needed to make necessary changes. We can’t get to the 2018 elections using physical ballots, especially now in the age of the internet. It is an anachronistic model, but we still managed to get positive results," councelor Guerrero said.

The IFE said that absentee voting went like this: National Action Party (PAN) presidential candidate Josefina Vázquez Mota won the highest number of votes, with 17,169; followed by Progressive Movement presidential candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador, with 15,878. The "Committed to Mexico" presidential candidate Enrique Peña Nieto received 6,359 votes, and New Alliance (Panal) presidential candidate Gabriel Quadri received 829. There were 404 null votes, and 75 votes for non-registered candidates.

The IFE said that the vote count was processed by 795 citizens at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education.

At a press conference, the institute’s spokesperson told reporters that a reduction in costs facilitated the participation of Mexican nationals abroad.