Mexico's top court strikes down part of electoral overhaul

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's Supreme Court ruled in a lopsided vote on Thursday to strike down part of a legislative overhaul of the country's electoral authority which was championed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Nine of the court's 11 justices voted to invalidate the reform, the court announced on Twitter, which overall would significantly shrink Mexico's national electoral institute INE and cut its budget.

Lopez Obrador has argued that INE is bloated, and has long nursed a grudge against the body for his two previous losing runs for the presidency, when he claimed the elections had been stolen from him.

Critics of the reform drive counter that the electoral shake-up would cede power to state and local officials, many of whom are currently affiliated with Lopez Obrador's Morena party. The officials could play a role in the next year's general election.

In March, Lopez Obrador said he will seek a vote on a broader electoral reform just before leaving office, if Morena and its allies can win a supermajority in the next Congress which would be needed to enact constitutional changes.

(Reporting by Raul Cortes Fernandez and Valentine Hilaire; Editing by David Alire Garcia)