Politics: AMLO’s emerging legislative agenda

MEXICO - Report 22 Oct 2018 by Guillermo Valdes, Alejandro Hope Pinsón and Francisco González

In the almost 50 days of the new legislative session, activity has been intense, including the explanation and defense of President Enrique Peña Nieto’s final State of the Nation report by his cabinet ministers and the installation of the legislative commissions. But only one bill has been approved in the Chamber of Deputies, which concerned the salaries of public servants; so far the Senate has only ratified an international treaty on labor and trade union rights.

Yet an abundance of reform proposals have emerged both for amending the Constitution as well as other legislation, not only from Morena and its PT and PES coalition partners, from which it is possible to glean some of López Obrador's legislative priorities (although such an exercise in political divination is not aided by the multiple missteps and contradictory proposals that continue to emerge from the pro AMLO camp.) The case of the Mexico City international airport and the educational reform are clear examples of the divergent positions held by the radical and moderate groups surrounding the president-elect. The presentation of legal and constitutional reform bills or new laws remain part of the struggle taking place behind the scenes.

A number of bills have been drafted that probably have little chance of passage unless they attract lawmakers from the governing bloc, but they do give an idea of how those parties hope to position themselves politically. The PAN is focusing on how federal and state government budgets are managed and distributed, backing the idea of lowering VAT and income tax rates in the northern as well as southern border states, eliminating any statutes of limitations on corruption-related offenses, and imposing longer prison terms and other penalties for crimes of extortion. The weakness of the PRI is reflected in its congressional caucus’ failure to date to propose anything, while the PRD is trying to outflank the future governing bloc from the left on questions of abortion and the legalization of cannabis. The Citizens’ Movement (MC) has presented several bills that coincide with the interests of some sectors of Morena, such as the proposal aimed at prohibiting the extraction of hydrocarbons through fracking.

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