 APNs are not allowed to register candidates for election, though they can publicly support those of other political parties through association agreements and may only do so during federal elections.The creation of an APN is regarded (albeit not obligatory) as the first step towards the creation of a full-fledged political party.In order to register an APN before IFE, the association has to provide documentation proving a minimum of 5000 members in at least seven Mexican states.