Emilio Lozoya’s Proposal / Vote Recount

Fertilizers. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador informed that the federal government would deliver free fertilizer to 2 million small farmers throughout the country, mainly those who produce corn, beans and rice. “It will be free fertilizer for 2 million producers, especially for farmers with few hectares, some who sow half hectares, one, two, others more, but for them, the free fertilizer is crucial,” said the president. This program will have a budget of MX$16.684 million (US$861,047) in 2023 and will deliver 1 million tons of fertilizer between December 2022 and May 2023.

Agronitrogenados Case. The president called for a reparation agreement to be reached with Emilio Lozoya, former Director, PEMEX, concerning the Agronitrogenados Case. He clarified that he rejected Lozoya’s claim to pay around US$3.4 million as reparation for the damage caused by the overpriced purchase of the Agronitrogenados plant from Altos Hornos de México. “No, it is a very small amount. That has to be checked by the Public Prosecutor’s Office and by PEMEX, but that is not the amount. We cannot be sure how much the damage was, but if there are expert reports and audits, I am sure that that amount is incorrect.”

Emilio Lozoya Austin has two open charges for corruption in Mexico: the first one concerns the overpriced purchase of the unserviceable Agronitrogenados plant from businessman Alonso Ancira, owner of Altos Hornos de México (AHMSA), in exchange for bribes. The other one refers to Lozoya allegedly receiving US$10.5 million in bribes from Odebrecht during the campaign and presidency of Enrique Peña Nieto.

Increase in Remittances. López Obrador estimates remittances will increase by 13 percent in the last month of 2022, which is equivalent to more than MX$58 billion (US$3 billion). He maintained that his predictions have been accurate and results have varied by very little in previous years.

Vote Count. President López Obrador recounted the votes cast by the ministers of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) to elect its new president, Norma Piña, even though they were cast secretly. The president once again spoke against the Supreme Court, “whose rulings have not helped the people of Mexico and have only helped economic interests,” he said. 

Helping the Poor. The president said his government does not support middle or upper classes but does support the poor. “Helping the poor is a safe bet because you know that when you need to defend, in this case, the transformation, you can count on their support,” he declared.

-----

Click HERE for full transcript in Spanish