The PES itself failed to attract three percent of the vote in the elections for president, federal deputies, and senators, which under Mexican law prompted the loss of its federal registry and the appointment of a liquidator by the Instituto Nacional Electoral (INE) to dispose of the national party's assets.

[6] The Social Encounter Party challenged the result and lost, leading to its dissolution on September 3, 2018.

[10] Despite meeting the registration requirements, concern arose at the INE about the open participation of 15 registered religious ministers in six district assemblies[11] and Christian organizations, barred from political activity under the law.

The result was a marathon session of the INE's General Council on September 5, 2020, which resulted in the board approving the registration of the new PES as a political party on a 6–5 vote; the majority voted to annul only the relevant assemblies, which still left the party over the minimum requirements of members and assemblies.

Lorenzo Córdova Vianello, the head of the institute, called the involvement of religious ministers in party events "a direct and grave violation of the Constitution".