Clean Energy Part of Electricity Reform/Revocation of Mandate

AMLO to travel to Guatemala. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that on Monday he will travel to Guatemala, with John Kerr, the US special envoy, to discuss climate change, migration and his program "Sowing Life" with the Guatemalan authorities. "If my program (Sowing Life) is implemented immediately, it would benefit 90,000 people in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, especially those who emigrate due to lack of work."

As the migration crisis has worsened in the US and Mexico, López Obrador has put more pressure on the US government to consider his program that seeks to generate jobs and improve the quality of life in Central America and southern Mexico. However, according to experts, this is a long-term plan and is not designed to address many of today's problems. US President Joe Biden announced he sent Kerr to analyze López Obrador’s program and its possible impact.

Electrical reform includes the generation of clean energy. López Obrador assured that the electricity reform he sent to Congress contemplates the country's transition to clean energy, in addition to giving greater order to the granting of concessions. “The transition to clean energy is contemplated in the constitutional reform. There is a lot of criticism because those in charge were the only ones who benefited, while the Mexicans were left out. This is why we have to guarantee that the price of electricity does not increase and that lithium benefits Mexicans.”

On Oct. 1, President López Obrador announced he had sent the electricity reform to Congress, which seeks to guarantee energy security in the country and control costs by handing 56 percent of the country's energy market to CFE, while 46 percent will go to the private sector. López Obrador announced that the new electricity reform includes the issue of lithium and seeks exclusive control of the metal by the state.

AMLO touts Mexico’s climate change record. López Obrador stressed that Mexico has fulfilled its climate change commitments and, in fact, the country has gone beyond what was requested. López Obrador said that without being asked, the country has reduced its oil production to contribute to the fight against climate change. “Regarding climate change, we are acting responsibly and not just because international organizations demand it. There is a lot of hypocrisy on this subject, since there is a lot of talk about climate change but more and more oil is being extracted around the world.”

Climate Action Tracker, a scientific group that evaluates countries' actions to combat climate change, published its annual ranking, in which it classifies Mexico as "highly insufficient." Previously, the country had been classified as “insufficient,” which means that the association believes that Mexico has worsened in its climate goals and performance. In addition, the Business Coordinating Council (CCE) announced that if the electricity reform is approved, Mexico would become an obstacle in the global climate fight.

Revocation of mandate has been challenged. López Obrador criticized the actions of legislators who went to the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation yesterday to impugn the law of revocation of mandate. López Obrador emphasized that the revocation of mandate is a necessary democratic exercise to avoid coups. “Yesterday, they went to court to say it was unconstitutional because the question was wrong. What are they doing? They are feigning an incongruity. These people are not democrats because they reject the mechanisms of direct participation that are by peaceful means.” López Obrador called on the National Electoral Institute (INE) to resolve the situation and give citizens the facilities to exercise their right to participate in democratic activities.

Yesterday, the alliance Va Por México, which includes representatives of the PAN, PRI and PRD, presented an action of unconstitutionality against the law of revocation of the mandate because the question was inappropriate. "Instead of asking if the mandate should be revoked, it denatures it by broadening the question to whether the mandate should be ratified," said Jorge Romero, PAN deputy. The coalition argued that no secondary law can expand, modify or subtract what is established in the Constitution. Likewise, the law has been criticized because it will represent excessive spending for the government, which should be used to address the most urgent problems of the country.

Click HERE for full transcript in Spanish