This weekend AMLO will send his plan B for electoral reform

Arturo Sanchez Jimenez and Nestor Jimenez

Newspaper La Jornada
Wednesday, November 30, 2022, p. 5

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took for granted yesterday that his proposal for constitutional electoral reform will be rejected by the opposition in the Chamber of Deputies and affirmed that, before this happens, he will send legislators his plan B of changes to secondary laws on the matter, which he hopes will be approved this year.

Ironically, López Obrador applauded and asked for applause at his morning conference for opposition legislators for his position on the electoral reform.

Applause for the conservative bloc, because there will continue to be 500 deputies. Applause, you can’t take money from the parties. Applause, the parties will continue to be the ones that, by order of their bosses, appoint the advisers (of the National Electoral Institute, INE) and the magistrates of the electoral tribunal, not the citizens, not the peoplesaid the president, while laughing and clapping in the National Palace.

The louder clap he gave it and asked for it because they are going to vote against what the people want, what the majority of the people want, that is the loudest applause. Because they are not popular representatives, they are representatives of the leadership of economic power and political power.

Lopez Obrador stated that the conservative block does not want there to be fewer deputies, fewer senators. They want to continue maintaining the multi-members, they want to continue giving a lot of money to the parties, they want the parties to continue appointing, especially the parties at the service of the conservative oligarchy, the directors, they do not want the people to elect them. That is what they already resolved: the INE is not touched.

He asserted that with the rejection of the reform by the opposition now more is known about the importance of having a majority in Congress and stressed that those who argue that elections should be split the vote for balance what they are really looking for is have the president tied hand and foot.

Although the deputies agreed to postpone the vote on the reform until next week, he stated that he will send his package of changes to secondary laws as soon as possible, including this weekend.

Why wait, if it is already in the public domain that they agreed. Well, they agreed many years ago, but it is already very clear that they do not want any electoral reform.

López Obrador declined to comment on the tour of reconciliation announced by Senator Ricardo Monreal, coordinator of the Morena bench.

He announced, on the other hand, that he still plans to send two other legal reforms to Congress, one related to Republican austerity and another with tax evaders and fraudsters.