López Obrador to Present More Reforms

President López Obrador will present a new reform package on Feb. 5, which includes new proposals to modify the Judicial Power, pensions and the minimum wage. Experts assure that the approval of these proposals will be difficult, as it will require negotiations with the opposition. 

While the President did not inform the number of initiatives he will send to Congress, he did inform that among them are initiatives for the National Guard to continue under the administration of SEDENA, for judges to be elected by citizens, for the minimum wage increase to be higher than inflation and for the pension system to be improved. 

"I will soon present all the initiatives to reform the Constitution. It is a package of important reforms for the benefit of Mexicans. It will help to have a legal framework in accordance with new times, which will make it easier for democracy to become a reality and for the government to never again be at the service of a minority.”

MORENA and its allies will have to negotiate with the opposition parties, since two thirds of the chamber must vote in favor of the proposals to approve them. Experts point out that 56 opposition legislators are needed for these proposals to be approved. 

The opposition front Fuerza y Corazón por México, integrated by PAN, PRI and PRD, has announced that it will reject President López Obrador’s proposals. Marko Cortés, National Leader, PAN, said that they will not support the initiatives of the current government because some of them go against the independence and autonomy of the Judicial Power. Meanwhile, Movimiento Ciudadano declared that it is open to analyze and discuss the proposals, arguing that there is not enough information to reject or support them. 

MORENA has recognized that the most difficult part of these proposals will be to find positional support. López Obrador emphasized that even if a qualified majority is not reached to approve his constitutional reforms, it is a triumph that they are known and discussed. He added that the electoral law proposals will only be discussed and voted on after June 2, when the new senators and deputies will be elected. 

During López Obrador's administration, 61 articles of the Mexican Constitution have been reformed, less than the 155 reformed during Peña Nieto's administration.