Poverty Increases in Mexico/ Institutional Crisis at TEPJF

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador congratulated the Mexican soccer team for winning a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. “I express my congratulations to the members of the Mexican soccer team who beat Japan and added another Olympic medal to the Mexican delegation. The Olympic Games are not over yet and I am sure we will get more medals.”

So far, Mexico has won four bronze medals: Alejandra Valencia and Luis Álvarez won a medal in archery; Gabriela Agúndez and Alejandra Orozco in women’s synchronized 10m platform diving; Fuentes Zavala in the 76kg women's weightlifting and the national team in soccer.

Baja California Sur's homicide rate decreases. López Obrador applauded the government of Baja California Sur for reducing crime in the state. “It is important to highlight what has been achieved in Baja California Sur, since there has been a considerable decrease in crime. It is one of the states with the best improvements in the country, especially in crimes such as homicides.” Carlos Mendoza, governor of Baja California Sur, highlighted that after Yucatan, Baja California Sur has the lowest number of violent homicides. “In 2016, the state ranked first, with the highest homicide rate per 100,000 residents. Today, it is one of the states with the fewest homicides in the entire Republic,” said Mendoza.

According to INEGI, in 2020, there were 36,579 intentional homicides in Mexico, 82 fewer homicides than in 2019, when 36,661 homicides were reported. The states with the lowest number of homicides were Baja California Sur with 78 homicides, Campeche with 76 and Yucatan with 72.

Poverty increases in Mexico. López Obrador said that the increase in the number of people living in poverty is due to the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. “It is the product of the health and economic crisis caused by the pandemic, which affected all sectors. Last year, the economy fell 8.5 percent, a decline that had not occurred since 1930."

The National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (CONEVAL) published the report "Multidimensional Measurement of Poverty in Mexico 2018-2020," which showed that the poverty situation in the country has worsened. According to the report, in 2018, there were 51.9 million people living in poverty, while in 2020, the number increased to 55.7 million.

Institutional crisis at the TEPJF. López Obrador said that the presiding magistrate of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) Arturo Zaldívar does not have the power to intervene in the conflict at the Electoral Tribunal of the Judicial Power of the Federation (TEPJF). "The matter of the Tribunal has to be resolved by the magistrates because it is an autonomous organization."

 Magistrates dismissed José Luis Vargas Valdés as presiding magistrate and replaced him with Reyes Rodríguez, sparking an institutional crisis at the TEPJF. According to MORENA Coordinator Ricardo Monreal, neither the law nor the Constitution grants the power to remove or revoke the president-elect of the TEPJF. The only entity empowered to do so is the Administration Commission.

AMLO: I will defend LP gas consumers before companies. López Obrador stressed that his government will defend gas consumers before any company despite requests from the Employers' Confederation of the Mexican Republic (COAPRMEX). “Consumers are our priority because we do not want distributors to abuse them. We understand that COPARMEX has to defend companies but we have the obligation to defend everyone, especially consumers.”

COPARMEX stated that it recognizes the need to address the rise in gas prices; however, it said setting maximum prices puts companies at risk of bankruptcy, in addition to affecting the country's competitiveness. As a result, COPARMEX proposed the promotion of private-public participation in the extraction and exploitation of gas to address prices, without affecting companies.

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