Mayan Train/Energy in Yucatan

Mayan Train. Director of the National Fund for Tourism Promotion (FONATUR) Javier May assured that construction on the Mayan Train continue without problems. “Eleven thousand jobs have been being created. In Section 3, construction is progressing at a good pace in order to meet the goal of inaugurating the project by December 2023.”

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the construction continues without setbacks and that the project will be inaugurated in 2023. However, various civil organizations, communities, ejidos and companies have protested its construction and how the government has handled this situation.  Consequently, the project may require more time. In addition, FONATUR has reported the project struggles to purchase sufficient ballast, a key material for crossings. The president announced that the government will probably buy ballast from Cuba. However, port logistics also represents a challenge.

Natural gas in Yucatan. Yucatan Governor Mauricio Vila thanked the CFE for the construction of a solar park and for the development of the natural gas industry in Yucatan.

The construction of the Mayan Train includes two combined cycle power plants in Yucatan, which are expected to solve the blackout problems in the region. In addition, CFE´s director, Manuel Bartlett Díaz, said that all the necessary infrastructure is being built to bring natural gas from Texas.

INE. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador accused the National Electoral Institute (INE) of not being a democratic institution and accused it of corruption.

For years, the president has criticized the INE for not defending the true interest of the Mexican people. Last year, the president proposed an electoral reform to change 18 articles and insert seven transitional ones. It sought to replace the INE, eliminate plurinominal deputies and reduce the number of federal legislators to 300 deputies and 96 senators, while implementing electronic voting, among other changes. However, the reform was not approved. Consequently, López Obrador announced his plan B, which is an amendment to the electoral law that does not require the approval of two-thirds of Congress. Plan B of the electoral reform establishes that salaries will be reviewed, magistrates may be dismissed, and the General Commission will be reorganized.