Gas Distributors Obeying Price Cap/Audits of Outgoing Governors

Humanitarian aid to Haiti. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said that Mexico will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Haiti, including sending three planes with supplies, food and medicine for those affected by Saturday's earthquake. “There is a general collapse in the country. It was reported that the health institutions are inoperative, so they have asked us for specific help that we will announce later.”

The Haitian government has announced that the country is in a state of emergency after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake shook the country on Saturday, leaving at least 1,297 dead and more than 5,700 injured. The earthquake destroyed 13,694 homes and damaged another 13,785. Additionally, some hospitals have been damaged, while others are at full capacity. Roads are also blocked, making it difficult to transport vital supplies and patients. Authorities explained that the earthquake was less damaging than the 2010 earthquake that killed 220,000-300,000 people; however, the country is in a difficult position because it was still recovering from that earthquake.

Price of LP gas. Head of the Federal Consumer Prosecutor's Office (PROFECO) Ricardo Sheffield stressed that for the second consecutive week, distributors have respected the maximum price limit for LP gas. However, he said that 10 companies had raised their prices. “For the second week, we can see how effective this maximum price measure has been. The maximum price has been respected and there is still fair competition.”

The Mexican government has established a maximum gas price limit that seeks to offer “fair prices” to consumers. However, in recent weeks, several distributors have launched protests against the cap because it lowers their income since they work on commission. Furthermore, it has been argued that some companies are at risk of disappearing and that the new measure does not allow fair competition in the market. The Energy Regulatory Commission announced that the maximum price of LP gas will be MX$22.98 (US$1.16) for the week of Aug. 15-21.

Electoral reform. López Obrador reiterated the need to implement an electoral reform to eliminate corruption and replace the members of the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judicial Power (TEPJF) and the National Electoral Institute (INE) because “they are not democrats.” “We need a complete change. They do not respect the will of the people; do not act righteously and do not apply the law. A true democracy must be established in the country.”

López Obrador has previously insisted on carrying out an electoral reform that eliminates corruption at electoral institutions because he believes its members have not defended democracy. The initiative was announced after magistrates dismissed José Luis Vargas Valdés as presiding magistrate and replaced him with Reyes Rodríguez, who does not have a good relationship with the president. Previously, a tweet from Rodríguez's Twitter account hoped for the death of López Obrador. Rodríguez said that he did not write the tweet and that his account had been hacked.

Audits of outgoing governors. López Obrador recommended that the new governors carry out audits of the outgoing governors to demonstrate the state's situation and avoid having to take responsibility for the problems generated during their administrations. “It is the decision of each governor. It is not for revenge but to inform the population. Furthermore, if there are irregularities, it is necessary to report them to the corresponding authorities so that they can investigate them.”

In the June 6 elections, López Obrador’s party, MORENA, won 11 of the 15 governorships that were at stake. The new governors will be sworn in 2021. The first state to swear in a new governor will be Tlaxcala on Aug. 31 and the last will be Sinaloa on Nov.1.

Click HERE for full transcript in Spanish