2021: Year of the Independence and Greatness of Mexico
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2021: Year of the Independence and Greatness of Mexico

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Ricardo Guzman By Ricardo Guzman | Editor - Wed, 09/30/2020 - 10:59

2021, year of celebrations. President López Obrador presented a plan to commemorate two centuries of Mexico’s Independence, the 700th anniversary of the founding of Mexico-Tenochtitlan and the 500th anniversary of the fall of the city that became the country’s capital city. “Next year is the year of the Independence and the greatness of Mexico,” the president said, joined by Mexico City Head of Government Claudia Sheinbaum. In a detailed report on next year celebrations, IMSS head Zoé Robledo pointed out that the whole program includes 12 national events including tributes to national heroes, commemoration of relevant dates, exhibitions, parades and the traditional Independence celebration known as El Grito. Other events and celebrations are also expected in 65 cities across 32 states, starting on Feb. 14 in Oaxaca and ending on Sept. 30 in Michoacan.

Spain, Pope should apologize. President López Obrador again said that both the Spanish government and Pope Francis should apologize for excesses and atrocities committed during the colonial period. “We do not rule out the Spanish government and the papacy asking for forgiveness, since the goal is to leave confrontations behind,” López Obrador said. He noted that forgiveness helps kindle reconciliation. “Recently in the United States, they took down statues of colonizers. This is not about agreeing or disagreeing, this is about healing wounds,” he said. Included in the 12 national events for next year’s celebrations is a special day to ask for forgiveness on abuses and atrocities during the colonization of Mexico. The Mexican government will also apologize for excesses and repression of native peoples of Mexico, in particular Yaquis and Mayas.

International leaders invited for parade. The civil-military parade scheduled for Sept. 16, 2021, part of the national independence celebrations, will include participants from all over the world, Minister of Foreign Affairs (SRE) Marcelo Ebrard said. “All 193 members of the United Nations will be invited, as well as all of Mexico’s partners in the international arena, totaling 252 organizations,” Ebrard said.

Supreme Court decision will be transcendental. The expected decision of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJN) on a referendum related to putting former presidents on trial will be transcendental, since it will decide whether Mexico moves from a representative democracy to a participatory democracy, President López Obrador said. “Let’s wait. Tomorrow is an important day,” he said about the expected decision by SCJN on the legality of a public referendum to bring former presidents to court. The president said that if the court decides the referendum cannot be carried because it is against the Constitution, then he will send a reform initiative related to the 35th article of the Constitution.

Talks on Zocalo demonstrations. There are ongoing talks with organizers of the Oct. 2 demonstration in Mexico City, who have yet to decide whether they will march on the streets toward a meeting in the Zocalo city square, like they do every year, or just hold a meeting in Tlatelolco, Claudia Sheinbaum said. The head of government stressed that with dialogue, the entrance to the capital's main square is possible if non-aggression between different demonstrations is agreed. Right now, FRENA, which is pushing for President López Obrador’s resignation, has tents in the Zocalo and small confrontations with López Obrador’s supporters have been reported. Sheinbaum highlighted that last Saturday’s Ayotzinapa demonstration, another by electrical workers on Sunday and another yesterday by people asking for housing went off without incident. “The problem is when there is no dialogue and there can be confrontation. The goal is to avoid it,” she said.

 

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Click HERE for full transcript in Spanish

Photo by:   Presidencia de la República

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