May 12th, 2023

VOLTAR

1. Due to violations to the legislative process, Supreme Court reverses first part of the electoral reform

With nine votes in favor and two against, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation declared invalid the first part of the electoral reform, known as “Plan B”, arguing that the Congress of the Union committed serious violations to the legislative process established in the Constitution during its approval of the law. The legislature disrespected the principle of informed and democratic deliberation, as well as the rights of parliamentary minorities, by not taking the necessary time to understand and discuss the reform and legislative procedures were ignored without basis, the court said.

President López Obrador expressed his disagreement and said that for this reason it is not only necessary to win the presidency in 2024, but also the majority in Congress. He added that he will send an initiative to reform the Judiciary, which set a clear precedent to annul reforms or law initiatives that do not strictly adhere to the established legislative process, including the new science and technology law, the dissolution of the Institute of Health for Welfare, among others.

El Economista: Por violar proceso, SCJN invalida parte de reforma electoral

2. Migration, among the priority issues discussed by Biden and Lopez Obrador

The Covid-19 emergency has ended along with its associated measures, including the policy known as Title 42, under which the U.S. could immediately deport undocumented migrants to their last country of transit (mainly Canada and Mexico), for public health reasons. The measure had served to persuade non-regular migrants to enter the United States, which anticipates that the migratory flow will increase exponentially when it ends, for which reason the country has reinforced its border with 24,000 agents. For its part, Mexico has announced an increase in consular protection in the area. The presidents of both countries held a telephone conversation in which they agreed to work on “humanistic migration”, without making public any further details or actions to be taken to contain the transit of irregular migrants through both nations.

Aristegui Noticias: AMLO y Biden prometen trabajar en migración ‘humanista’
SinEmbargo: México refuerza protección consular en frontera norte; EU despliega 24 mil agentes

3. Mexican government announces bidding process for the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec

The Ministry of Economy announced the bidding for 10 development poles of the Inter-Oceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec project, which aims to spur the region’s economy through the transfer of goods from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. The agency pointed out that in this first of three stage, six of the 10 poles will be put out to tender, four of which are located in Veracruz and two in Oaxaca. The concessions will be granted for two years, with the option to renew for five more years. Among the sectors that are expected to benefit are the electrical and electronics industry, semiconductors, automotive, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, agribusiness, and petrochemicals. In order to attract investment, a package of tax benefits was announced for companies that invest in the project, including measures such as the exemption of income tax for the first years. A delegation will also visit the U.S., Canada and Germany to attract foreign capital.

El Financiero: Corredor Interoceánico: ¿Cómo va el ambicioso proyecto de AMLO y cuál será su siguiente paso?

4. Subnational growth presents inequalities

The organization México ¿Cómo Vamos? conducted an analysis of the performance of subnational economies. According to its report “National and State Growth of the Mexican Economy”, only 10 states exceeded their annual economic growth target, among them Puebla, Oaxaca, Hidalgo, Quintana Roo, and Tabasco. Among the other 22 states that will not exceed their GDP targets, Campeche, Morelos, and Veracruz stand out, since their economies contracted by a range of 1.6 to 3.3 percent. Over the last five years, despite the fact that 22 states have shown positive average growth, none has reached the Economic Traffic Light Growth target, which means that “the necessary economic activity is not being generated to create sufficient opportunities for the population in any of the country’s states.”

Milenio: Puebla está entre los 5 estados del país con mayor crecimiento económico
México ¿Cómo Vamos?: Crecimiento nacional y estatal de la economía mexicana

5. Alejandro Moreno: PRI leader until 2024

In a private session, the National Political Council of the Institutional Revolutionary Party decided to extend Alejandro Moreno’s presidency until 2024, despite legal questions about this measure and the opposition of former party leaders. With this action, Alejandro Moreno will be a strategic actor in the next federal elections, since he will be in charge of strengthening the “Va por México” Alliance with the National Action Party and the Democratic Revolution Party, in addition to negotiating with them over the candidate for the Presidency of the Republic. He will also oversee the appointment of candidates for the 500 Deputies and 128 Senators. The once hegemonic party faces 2024 with a strong but criticized leadership.

El País: El PRI extiende el mandato de Alito Moreno hasta después de las elecciones de 2024