The blaze at the Tuzandépetl Strategic Storage Plant in Ixhuatlán del Sureste, Veracruz, appears to have been the most destructive of the Thursday fires. Photo: Ángel Hernández / Cuartoscuro.com
State oil company Pemex is facing renewed scrutiny of its safety record, after fires at three separate facilities on Thursday left at least eight people injured and several missing.
The first fire started around noon at the Lázaro Cárdenas Refinery, in Minatitlán, Veracruz. Pemex said in a statement that it was caused by the runoff of product onto a hot surface and was quickly put out by firefighters. Five workers were injured, but there was no damage to the plant or interruption of activities.
Four hours later, a second fire broke out just 19 kilometers away, in the drilling equipment of the Tuzandépetl Strategic Storage Plant, in Ixhuatlán del Sureste. Despite the deployment of multiple fire crews, the blaze spread to other wells in the facility and continued to burn throughout the afternoon.
After the fire was brought under control, Pemex reported that three workers were injured and five more were missing. One worker was reported dead: Family and friends of petroleum engineer Carlos Ascensión Morales confirmed Friday morning that Morales had passed away due to the accident. Personnel from the Defense Ministry guarded the entrances to the area through the night and local municipalities opened four shelters.
Also on Thursday afternoon, Pemex issued a community alert for a third fire, in the crude distillation unit at its Deer Park refinery in Texas. The blaze was quickly controlled and the extent of the damage is unclear.
The fires come at a bad moment for Pemex, ahead of its earnings report on Monday. The company is under pressure to boost productivity after more than a decade of annual losses.
It is currently the most indebted of all major oil companies, with a total debt of $105 billion at the end of September, around $8 billion of which is due this year.
Pemex has also faced several major safety scandals in recent years. Most notably, a fire at its offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico in 2021 caused five deaths and cut Mexico’s oil production by a quarter. The same year, the company drew international criticism after a large gas explosion near its offshore rig in the Bay of Campeche.
National Electoral Institute (INE) President Lorenzo Córdova, center, is the only president that the elections oversight body, established in 2014, has ever had. (Gabriel Pérez Montiel/Cuartoscuro)
The next president of the oversight agency in charge of elections throughout Mexico — including the 2024 presidential election — will be a woman, according to a ruling made by the country’s elections tribunal.
The announcement was made by the Superior Chamber of the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary (TEPJF). A magistrate on that body, Judge Mónica Soto, said the decision had nothing to do with quotas, but was based on establishing gender parity and balance.
The decision means that the National Electoral Institute (INE) — an autonomous, national, public institution that organizes elections at all three levels to ensure that they are run cleanly — will for the first time in its history be run by a woman.
The decision was hailed the next day by President López Obrador.
“Women tend to be more honest, more responsible and fairer than men,” the president declared on Thursday morning. “They contribute a lot.”
Whichever woman ends up leading the 11-member National Electoral Institute (INE), she will be replacing the current president, Lorenzo Córdova Vianello, whose nine-year term comes to an end in April.
Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary magistrate Monica Soto, front center left, said after the announcement that it was made not with a quota in mind but with “gender parity.”
Since its creation in 2014 as part of constitutional reform, the INE has been chaired only by Córdova, so granting another man a nine-year term would mean 18 straight years of the agency being headed by a man.
Moreover, the INE’s predecessor, the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE), was chaired by women only in short periods on an interim or a transitional basis.
In choosing the INE’s next leader, its technical evaluation committee will craft what will be a list of five women candidates, and the Congress will have the final say on who ultimately fills the position.
The general council of the INE is made up of a president and 10 electoral councilors. Córdova and three councilors will conclude their terms on April 23, meaning four vacancies will soon need to be filled; the presidency and one other vacancy will be filled by women, and two by men, TEPJF announced.
During the Superior Chamber session at which the ruling was announced, Judge Janine Otálora said that trying to achieve gender parity on a slow, gradual basis is foolhardy, and that the time is right for the country’s main electoral board to be chaired by a woman.
The INE’s new leader will come at a challenging time for the INE: electoral reform that just passed Congress earlier this week will diminish the INE’s role in the electoral process, a move that has divided the country politically. (Yerania Rolón Rolón/Cuartoscuro)
“I consider that the historical context of the integration of the INE demands that the presidency be occupied by a woman [to reflect] the principle of parity and the substantive participation of women” in government, Otálora said. Other TEPJF members supported her argument.
As of Wednesday, 424 people had begun the registration process for one of the four upcoming INE vacancies, including the presidency, though only 35 had completed the process. Applications close on Thursday, Feb. 23.
After a second phase of evaluations, the seven-member INE evaluation committee will create a list of five candidates for each opening by March 26. Current councilors are allowed to compete for the presidency, although re-election to the INE council isn’t allowed, so their term length will have to be addressed.
Candidates cannot be a leader or a member of a political party, and they cannot have run for an elected position in the previous four years.
In his morning press conference on Thursday, López Obrador said that equality for women must be fought for in different fields, not only in politics.
He pointed out that the majority of the beneficiaries of state welfare programs are women, and also denied that resources destined to support women were being cut.
A statue of a player of the ancient pre-Hispanic game of Ulama welcomes visitors to El Quelite. (Photos by Sheryl Losser)
Twenty-five miles northeast of Mazatlán in rural Sinaloa, on the banks of the river Quelite, sits the small colonial town of El Quelite — this place with less than 2,000 people was transformed by rural tourism thanks to the vision of one man: Dr. Marcos Gabriel Osuna Tirado.
Rural tourism is a growing industry in Mexico. It is so important that last year, the UNWTO — United Nations World Tourism Organization — held their worldwide meeting on Rural Tourism in Mexico.
The charming town of El Quelite has dressed up its authenticity with brightly painted houses, multicolored flowers and quaint artisan shops for leisurely browsing.
On the way here — about an hour’s trip — my tour guide Akino Montiel talks about the history of the area. “Quelite is from the Nahuatl word quiliti–a plant or herb that can be eaten,” he says.
Buzzards and hawks fly overhead, and agriculture is abundant.
The first thing we see upon reaching Quelite is the welcoming arch and a statue dedicated to the pre-Hispanic game of Ulama — considered the oldest continuously played team sport in the world — which is still actively played in Quelite and other small communities in Sinaloa.
A typical 18th-century Spanish colonial house in El Quelite with a portico and rocking chairs.
We slowly meander down the streets of the town lined with tile-roofed 18th-century colonial houses painted in bright colors — most decorated with a profusion of plants and bougainvillea. Many of the houses have large porticos in front with several rocking chairs designed to while away the time watching locals pass by. Local shops offering fresh cheese and open doors wafting the smell of fresh rolls and bolillos line the street.
Our first stop is the famous El Mesón de Los Laureanos, owned by Dr. Marcos Osuna. It’s where you will find him most days of the week — supervising the kitchen, greeting friends and customers and regaling everyone with his stories of days long past.
The restaurant in the town’s center is a Spanish-style open-air hacienda. It was Dr. Osuna’s childhood home, which he transformed into a restaurant in 1998 to showcase Sinaloa’s gastronomical specialties.
Through the front door, you enter a room dedicated to Quelite’s history. On the far wall is a mural depicting the arrival of the conquistadors. Another mural depicts the Legend of Los Laureanos. Cases display artifacts of pottery and other items used by the Totorames — the largest pre-Hispanic people in the area.
The first Spanish conquistadors arrived in 1531 led by Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán who enslaved and slaughtered the Totorame and Cahue peoples he encountered as he marched through Sinaloa, decimating them. Diseases brought by the conquistadors then killed 90% of those who remained.
Nuño de Guzmán was followed in 1564 by Captain Francisco de Ibarra — considered much more benevolent. He conquered southern Sinaloa and founded towns along the way to mine the silver they discovered.
The restaurant has four large open dining rooms set with long tables. Dr. Osuna joins us at a quiet table in one of the rooms. Osuna, a gregarious man, is the “unofficial” chronicler of El Quelite — there is no official chronicler or town records.
“When I was growing up, there was no electricity or running water. We had to go to a common well or the river for our water,” he said. “I was the only doctor. Most people would use herbal remedies unless it was something more serious — then they would come to me. It was a very poor community, so if they could not afford to pay, I would not charge them.”
The local economy was — and still is — based mainly on agriculture, cattle breeding and dairy farming.
“We have the best cheeses in Sinaloa,” he says. “Quelite is famous for its food.”
I ask Osuna about the legend of Los Laureanos.
Dr. Marcos Osuna who is the man behind rural tourism in Sinaloa.
“Ah, Los Laureanos,” he says smiling. “The ringleader was José Laureano. Stagecoaches full of gold would come through here from the Sierra Madre mountains on their way to the coast.
“Quelite was a pit stop where they could re-shoe, rest and feed their horses. Los Laureanos were a gang of highwaymen who would rob the stagecoaches and use the gold to help fund the rebels in the struggle for Independence.”
I ask whether it’s a true story. He shrugs and replies, “Who knows? It is the story they tell in Quelite.”
Osuna is a pioneer in rural tourism.
“Around 25 years ago, I noticed that Mazatlecos were coming to Quelite on the weekends to get out of the city for a day. They wanted to experience rural life. So I told the people [of Quelite], ‘We’re going to paint all the houses bright colors and plant lots of flowers to attract tourists.’ Now we are like a chain of links: La Noria, Los Asuna, El Fuerte and other rural towns are all links in the chain.”
Dr. Osuna also tells me about the origin of the song “Qué Bonito es El Quelite” — popular throughout Mexico — composed by Francisco Terriquez.
“A wealthy landowner asked Terriquez to come to Quelite to form a band. While he was here, he fell in love with a beautiful young woman [Felicianna Núñez Chaná], but her father would not let them date — or even meet. Terriquez was inspired to write the corrido ‘Qué Bonito es El Quelite’ — a song about the beauty of El Quelite, unrequited love and lamenting the fact that he must leave.”
Then we eat! No one comes to El Quelite without eating at El Mesón de Los Laureanos. I order a delicious carne asada. The highlight, however, was the cheese served beforehand, the fresh tortillas and the sweet corn tamale for dessert. I now know why El Quelite is famous for their cheeses and local products.
After lunch, I walk around town and visit the 19th-century Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church — named after El Quelite’s patron saint. The streets are lined with stalls of local vendors, and you share the narrow cobblestone streets with people on horseback. I sit in the beautiful palm tree-laden plaza and watch the world go by as I breathe in the peacefulness of this little oasis.
As Akino and I head out of town, he points out a stadium.
“Charros would come from all over to train there, and they would hold competitions for the entire region. It’s no longer used because it was damaged a year and a half ago by the hurricane [Nora].”
Rural tourism is having a major impact on the people of rural Sinaloa, says Osuna.
“It has not only helped the economy and people of Quelite but also people who live in rural areas around Quelite,” he said. “I hire them for my restaurant. They can now come here to sell [items to tourists].”
It’s amazing what a little paint, some bougainvillea, a little refurbishing and a visionary leader like Dr. Marcos Osuna can do to transform a rural town.
Sheryl Losser is a former public relations executive and professional researcher. She spent 45 years in national politics in the United States. She moved to Mazatlán in 2021 and works part-time doing freelance research and writing.
The Monterrey-based airline says it will start with flights to Coahuila and Tamaulipas, adding Texas as a destination in the "first stage" of operations. (@FlyAerus Twitter)
A new Mexican airline is set to begin flying before the end of next month, joining a sector that two established Mexican carriers recently exited due to financial problems.
Aerus, a Monterrey-based regional airline, says on its website that it will commence operations in the northeast of Mexico in the first quarter of 2023, “covering national routes and later international ones.”
The first routes that Aerus will fly will be announced “very soon,” according to the website.
The newspaper El Universal reported Friday that the airline’s first flights will be between Monterrey and destinations in Coahuila and Tamaulipas. It also said Aerus would fly to southern and central Texas in a “first stage” of operations.
Javier Herrera García, the airline’s CEO, told El Universal that Aerus will initially operate with three 19-seater Cessna SkyCourier planes.
The airline hopes to grow its fleet to 14 planes by 2025 and employ 500 people, he said.
Aerus, which was granted a commercial aviation permit last May, intends to invest US $98 million over the next three years to achieve its goals. The airline’s parent company, Grupo Herrera, also owns a San Luis Potosí-based air taxi service called Aerotransportes Rafilher.
Aerus is currently seeking to fill a range of positions and will give preference to any former Aeromar employees who apply, according to a statement the airline posted to its Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts.
A phase 1 environmental alert has activated restrictions in the metropolitan area. (Rogelio Morales Ponce/ Cuartoscuro)
The Mexico City metropolitan area activated the first air pollution alert of the year, implementing traffic restrictions and recommendations against outdoor activity.
TheEnvironmental Commission of the Megalopolis (CAMe) said the situation was due to weak southwesterly winds in the center of the country, which had caused pollutants to concentrate in the Mexico City valley.
“The combination of atmospheric stability, typical of the high-pressure system and solar radiation that will be present during the day, will favor the stagnation of pollutants and the formation of ozone, causing air quality ranging from Bad to Very Bad,” the CAMe saidin a statement.
On Thursday, the Ajusco Medio monitoring station in Tlalpan, to the south of the city, recorded maximum ozone concentrations of 155 parts per billion (ppb). Levels under 70ppb are considered optimal for health, while levels over 100ppb are harmful.
In response, the CAMe activated phase 1 of its environmental contingency plan on Thursday afternoon and renewed the measures on Friday morning.
Under this plan, private cars with certain license plates will not be allowed to circulate in the city throughout Friday. This is in addition to the vehicles already barred from driving that day under Mexico City’s long-running “Hoy No Circula” (no-drive-days) air quality control program.
The CAMe also recommends the Mexico City public take the following precautions to protect their health:
Avoid all civic, cultural and recreational activities between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. including physical exercise.
Avoid smoking indoors or usingair fresheners, aerosols, waterproof paints or solvent products.
Public and private institutions should suspend or postpone any activities organized outdoors.
Institutions should facilitate remote work and other online activities wherever possible, to reduce transport emissions.
The CAMe advises citizens to stay informed about the situation and any updates to the measures. A new bulletin will be issued at 8 p.m. on Friday.
The percentage is lower than the 5% growth President Lopez Obrador predicted for 2022 back in February 2022 but higher than many experts forecast at the time: his own economy minister, Tatiana Clouthier, predicted growth of only 2.6%, while Banxico predicted much lower at 2.2% growth.
The International Monetary Fund’s prediction in February hit closer to the mark with a predicted growth for 2022 of 2.8%.
The 3% growth occurred against an economic backdrop of persistently high inflation and record-high interest rates as the Bank of México tightened monetary policy in an attempt to put downward pressure on soaring prices.
The secondary, i.e., manufacturing, sector recorded annual growth of 3.3% in 2022 while the tertiary, or service, sector expanded 2.8%. The primary sector, which includes agriculture, fishing and forestry activities, grew 2.7% compared to 2021.
Mexico’s GDP in 2022 just missed recuperating to 2018 levels. Hover over the data points to see exact figures.
INEGI also reported that GDP expanded 0.5% in the last quarter of 2022 compared to the previous quarter and 3.7% compared to Q4 of 2021.
Comparing Q4 to Q3 of 2021, the primary sector grew 2% in the three-month period while the secondary and tertiary sectors expanded 0.5% and 0.1%, respectively.
Mexico’s growth last year took some economic observers by surprise: at the end of 2022, the British magazine The Economist ranked Mexico’s economy sixth out of 34 countries on a list of “2022’s Unlikely Winners” — which highlighted world economies that performed far better than expected in that year.
Gabriela Siller, director of economic analysis at Banco Base, said on Twitter Friday that revenue from exports contributed significantly to Mexico’s economic growth last year.
“GDP grew 3.1% in Mexico in 2022, driven mainly by the external sector. The secondary sector, in which manufacturing exports are taken into account, was the sector with the highest annual growth,” she wrote.
After INEGI’s preliminary growth data was released, Siller said that nearshoring — the relocation of companies to Mexico to be close to the United States market — benefited the economy in 2022, but growth could have been higher if the phenomenon was taken advantage of more fully.
A breakdown on Mexico’s GDP since 2018, quarter by quarter.
Alfredo Coutiño, director for Latin America at Moody’s Analytics, said on Twitter Friday that the quarter-over-quarter growth figures for the secondary and tertiary sectors were indicative of an economic slowdown at the end of 2022.
The Ministry of Finance and Public Credit is forecasting 3% growth in 2023, but the International Monetary Fund is predicting GDP will expand by just 1.7%. The World Bank is even more pessimistic, anticipating growth of just 0.9% in Mexico in 2023.
“Domestic demand for services should continue to gradually recover in 2023, but a sharply weaker U.S. outlook is likely to curtail growth of exports and inward remittances,” the World Bank said in its January Global Economic Prospects report.
“… Consumption and export growth are expected to pick up in 2024, as inflation subsides and external conditions improve,” the bank added, predicting Mexico’s economy will grow 2.3% next year.
It's hard not to fall for the historic, colorful charm of Puebla city. (Photo: deposit photos)
To the dismay of most Mexico City natives, I love Puebla.
There is an undeniable release the moment I step into this city. The pace slows, the sun shines, its brilliant architecture and pastel colors ignite.
Puebla city’s vistas can seem to stretch on forever. (@Isaac Jero/Facebook)
A grid-like layout and clean streets makes navigation easy. There are more churches here than in any other city in Mexico, feeding the religious undertones that permeate local life here.
I find myself thinking of Puebla city often, planning my next escape before I’ve even left my current one. So allow me the pleasure to take you on a little tour around town, starting with the staples.
Museo Amparo: A comprehensive showcasing of Mexico’s art history from pre-Hispanic to modern contemporary. Meander through a typical 19th-century viceregal abode or admire original Talavera tile.
Calle de los Dulces: Candy lovers rejoice! There is an entire street dedicated to Mexican candy here, spawned by Victoria Ortiz, a poblana (person from Puebla) who opened the city’s very first candy shop in 1892.
There are hundreds of striking, colorful murals to be found in the city’s Xanenetla neighborhood. (Pablo Spencer/Poblanerias)
You could feasibly stuff your face for an entire afternoon (though I don’t recommend it) with dozens of local sweets, from camotes to novias and everything in between.
Xanenetla Murals: Once a dicey section of town, Xanenetla has been transformed into a beautiful open-air art museum, undulating with hundreds of colorful murals everywhere. From here, be sure to take the “Secrets of Puebla,” tour, fascinating journey through Puebla city’s mysterious underground tunnel system, which dates back to 1531.
Roman Catholic Cathedral: Standing proud in the city’s main square is one of the most stunning churches in the country. Construction began in 1575 and was completed in 1690, and its ornate, baroque design is reminiscent of the St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague.
The Chapel of the Rosary: Often touted as the “eighth wonder of the world,” this incredible chapel in the center of town is simply dripping with gold. it’s worth a look.
Callejón de los Sapos: Aside from this delightful little street (whose name means “Frog Alley”) being Puebla’s most Instagrammable location, it’s also swarming with antique shops and one of my favorite gems: Mesones Sacristía, an eclectic 19th-century mansion-turned-hotel that offers authentic Mexican cooking classes inside its original kitchen.
Biblioteca Palafoxiana: This is quite the library. And it’s not only for its looks — like the arched vaulted ceiling and dark wooden staircases. This national historic landmark holds more than 45,000 books dating back to the 1500s, and it was the first public library established in all of the Americas.
Puebla’s Chapel of the Rosary is a study in baroque gold designs. (Photo: deposit photos)
Museo Internacional del Barroco: The building’s sleek, minimalist look diverges nicely with an opulent baroque collection. There’s a theme for everyone, with exhibitions that touch upon science, nature, and poblano history. Consider it an afternoon well spent.
El Barrio del Artista and El Parián: This cozy little corner of Old Town is known for its lovely fountain, art studios and live music. It feeds into El Parian, a traditional handicraft market, where you’ll find a variety of brilliant textiles and Talavera tiles.
Ruins behind La Purificadora: Take a stroll to Hotel La Purificadora, where not only can you enjoy the elegant design of the building itself you can also meander to the courtyard behind and casually stumble on some 16th-century ruins. This is said to be the very spot where Puebla was officially named in 1531.
This town simply explodes with activity. But what is Puebla really known for?
Gastronomy.
A host of dishes attributed to Mexico were born here. Mole polano, chiles en nogada, chalupas, and rajas poblanas are just a few of the region’s famous (and delicious) foods.
The dish chiles en nogada was invented in Puebla by a convent of nuns who received Mexico’s Emperor Agustín de Iturbide. You owe it to yourself to try this iconic Mexican dish at the source!
Tasting everything is one tough obstacle to tackle, and that’s coming from someone with an uncommonly large capacity for food. I’ve made several trips to Puebla to eat as much as possible, and even as a sort-of vegan, it has yet to disappoint.
Because I’m fancy, I love a good rooftop bar, and Attico 303 is smack in the center of downtown with sweeping views of that gorgeous cathedral. Reviews on Open Table have deemed its cuisine “exceptional.”
However, I had already committed to vegan mole at El Mural de los Poblanos, an artsy restaurant fully dedicated to regional cuisine. It was divine.
To escape the tourist crowd, I like Restaurante La Noria. A uniquely-crafted menu pays homage to local ingredients, and its origins as an hacienda lends to lively terrace dining.
Post-dinner calls for a libation, and there is no shortage of mezcalerías in Puebla. My personal favorites are Licorería San Pedrito for its ambience: part church vibes, part bar — a contrast that feels so wrong it’s right. There’s also — Licorería’s chic, sophisticated older sibling.
For pulque fans, the seductive Caléndula Pulque Bar caters to a cool, laid back local crowd.
Like antiquing? Find your next treasure on Callejon de los Sapos. (Photo: City of Puebla)
It wouldn’t be a trip to Puebla without a pasita. What started as a grocery store quickly turned into the city’s most famous bar. La Pasita is known for many quirks, including a raisin liqueur, served in a tequila glass with a goat cheese chunk speared by a toothpick. (To be imbibed at any time of day, without judgment.)
If raisins don’t call you, head to Casa Zea, a stylish tasting house where Chef Gustavo Macuitl’s exquisite dishes are paired with something special — vodka, made from locally-sourced corn.
Finally, churros. I mean, what is a weekend escape without them? Head to Antigua Churreria de Catedral. Are they the best churros in Puebla? Who knows. The guaranteed line at this place, at any time of day, leads me to believe that they just might be.
Bethany Platanella is a travel and lifestyle writer based in Mexico City. With her company, Active Escapes International, she plans and leads private and small-group active retreats. She loves Mexico’s local markets, Mexican slang, practicing yoga and fresh tortillas. Sign up for her (almost) weekly love letters or follow her Instagram account, @a.e.i.wellness.
The information about Tulum airport's planned Maya Train station was mentioned during a progress report on Defense Ministry (Sedena) building projects to President Lopez Obrador's daily press conference on Monday. Here Sedena architect Gen. Gustavo Vallejo talks about progress on Section 5 of the train route. (Photo: Moisés Pablo Nava/Cuartoscuro)
The planned Tulum International Airport will have a Maya Train station and a military base on its premises, federal officials told President López Obrador’s daily press conference on Monday.
The station to be located at the airport will be a stop of the on the 256.8 km-long Section 6 of the Maya Train, which will travel between Tulum and Chetumal. It is being built by the Defense Ministry (Sedena).
In addition to the airport station and the one in Chetumal, the route will also have stations in Bacalar and Othón P. Blanco and a stop in Limones.
During a report on the progress of the Maya Train’s construction, Sedena military architect Gustavo Vallejo Suárez also told reporters that the Tulum airport — expected to start operations in 2024 — will have a capacity of 5 million passengers per year. About 75% of those 5.5 million would be international travelers, he predicted.
The planned airport, to be built on a 1,500-hectare parcel, will have a 3.7 km runway with a Category 1 instrument landing system and high-tech navigation aids and will see up to 32,000 annual air operations in its first phase, Mexico’s federal tourism agency Fonatur head Javier May said during the press conference.
“It will also have a platform with 13 positions for commercial aircraft, both domestic and international flights, and an additional platform for general aviation and executive aviation that will have 28 positions, as well as a storage hangar with another 12 positions or spaces for executive aircraft,” Vallejo said.
Renderings of planned features of Tulum International Airport, including a military base and a Maya Train station (in the bottom right box). (Photo: Sedena)
The government’s stated purpose for building the airport is to relieve congestion at the popular Cancún International Airport and bring economic development to Tulum.
Vallejo also emphasized that the airport will be “green” as it is following the environmental recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
“This project will satisfy the growing demand of passengers who visit [Cancún] in the south of the Riviera Maya,” Vallejo said. “Its infrastructure and operational potential classify it as a category 4 ECO airport — that is to say that all the aircrafts that arrive and leave our country can operate at this airport.”
He also touted what he billed as the airport’s unrelated benefits to the surrounding community.
“This airport will have a wide range of airport services, in addition to a multipurpose military air base, to strengthen the security and surveillance of the national airspace, assist the population in cases of disasters and attend to forest fires,” he said.
Local activists, however, have complained that the project poses environmental threats to the area and complained that the federal government’s public consultation on the project in January was a sham, as construction was already underway.
INE said on its official Twitter account that the "Plan B" reform passed on Wednesday "would place equity and transparency at risk" in upcoming elections. (Rogelio Morales Ponce / Cuartoscuro.com)
The Senate on Wednesday approved a major electoral reform package proposed by President López Obrador, legislation that critics say will significantly weaken the National Electoral Institute (INE) and thus pose a threat to upcoming elections.
A second part of the so-called “Plan B” reform will now be promulgated by López Obrador, who has been highly critical of the electoral institute and its president, Lorenzo Córdova.
PAN (National Action Party) senators (Lilly Téllez on the far left) hold up signs saying Morena is trying to steal the election. (@SenadoresdelPAN Twitter)
The reform will slash INE’s budget and therefore force the dismissal of staff, diminish its capacity to sanction politicians who violate electoral laws, curtail its autonomy and close some INE offices, among other consequences
Seventy-two senators with the ruling Morena party and its allies voted in favor of the legislation, which was put forward after a more ambitious constitutional bill to overhaul Mexico’s electoral system was blocked late last year, while 50 opposition lawmakers opposed it. The reform modifies secondary laws rather than the constitution and consequently only required a simple majority to pass Congress.
“What the government is proposing is the destruction of INE,” said National Action Party (PAN) Senator Lilly Téllez. She accused Morena lawmakers of “selling the homeland” and claimed that López Obrador’s aim is to “cheat” in upcoming elections, including the 2024 presidential election.
Many opposition lawmakers indicated they would challenge the reform in the Supreme Court, a likelihood López Obrador acknowledged at his regular news conference on Thursday morning.
President López Obrador acknowledged at Thursday’s press conference that the reforms will face legal action from the opposition. (Gob MX)
“We’re going for Plan C – that of the citizens,” said PAN Senator Alfredo Botello in reference to the proposed legal action.
The Supreme Court has already ruled that modifications to the Social Communication Law and the General Administrative Responsibility Law that were included in a separate “Plan B” reform package that was approved last year won’t apply in the lead-up to state elections in Coahuila and México state this year. A veda electoral – a period of pre-election silence that prevents politicians including the president from campaigning – will consequently remain in place before the two gubernatorial elections.
Much of the debate prior to Wednesday’s vote focused on a clause backed by Morena’s allies that would have allowed major parties to transfer votes to their smaller coalition partners to avoid their possible deregistration. Parties are deregistered if they fail to attract a minimal level of support from voters at elections.
The so-called “political parties’ eternal life” clause was excluded from the reform package before Wednesday’s vote in the Senate, but it is set to be reconsidered at a later date.
INE said on its official Twitter account that the “Plan B” reform passed on Wednesday “would place equity and transparency at risk” in upcoming elections because political parties and candidates won’t be required to report pre-campaign income and expenses.
It said last month that approval of the reform would force the dismissal of almost 6,000 employees, a figure equivalent to about one-third of the INE workforce.
An election observer at a voting station in 2021. (File photo)
Luis Carlos Ugalde, president of the Federal Electoral Institute (the forerunner to the INE) from 2003 to 2007, said last week that the capacity of the electoral institute to organize elections would be adversely affected by the approval of the reform. He raised concerns about the capacity of a diminished INE to install 160,000 voting booths for the 2024 election and count votes in an accurate and timely fashion.
The current INE president has voiced similar concerns himself.
“One would think that in an environment where Morena is in government and has more probability of winning [in 2024] … that it would sow conditions to provide certainty, tranquility and a level playing field, Ugalde said.
Polls show that López Obrador retains the support of a majority of Mexicans more than four years into his presidency and that Morena’s candidate at the 2024 election – most likely Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum or Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard – will become Mexico’s next president.
Opposition lawmakers lined up on Wednesday to denounce the electoral reform and excoriate Morena for ensuring its passage through Congress.
Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) Senator Claudia Ruiz Massieu accused the ruling party of using its congressional majority to “blow up the foundations” of democracy in Mexico.
“They’re not seeking to improve the system but … to have unfair advantages,” she said.
“… The opposition is going to the Supreme Court to challenge this backward step … and we’re also taking to the streets,” Massieu said, acknowledging protests set to take place in cities across the country this Sunday.
“I’m going to march this Sunday because I’m going to defend democracy,” said PAN Senator Xóchitl Gálvez.
A PRI congresswoman holds up a sign showing her support for the pro-INE march to be held on Sunday. (Mario Jasso / Cuartoscuro.com)
“… [They say] they want to save money, but why don’t they complain about the embezzlement that’s happening at [the] Dos Bocas [oil refinery],” she said in an apparent reference to a sharp increase in construction costs.
PAN Senator Damián Zepeda asserted that the reform “mutilates” the INE, leaving it “incapable of carrying out its work.”
For his part, independent Senator Emilio Álvarez Icaza described the reform as the “most regressive” legislation of the past 30 years.
“[Morena] wants to maintain power illegitimately and illegally. They want to put their hands in the ballot box and change the will of the people,” he said.
PAN senators held up signs in the upper house that asserted that “Morena wants to steal the [2024] election.”
López Obrador has rejected claims that the reform places the staging of free and fair elections at risk while touting 3.5 billion pesos (US $190.5 million) in annual savings it will generate – money he would prefer to spend on government welfare and infrastructure programs.
INE president Lorenzo Córdova ends his eight-year term in April. (Cuartoscuro.com)
Córdova, the INE chief, said Thursday that payouts to employees of the same amount will be required due to the dismissals necessitated by the reform. He said last month that the “Plan B” reform would “blow up the elections” and called on citizens to present “all legal resources within their reach to stop” it.
Córdova, whose eight-year term as INE president ends in April, said Thursday that “it’s better to go to the elections in 2024 with the rules that have given us political stability and not play the sorcerer’s apprentice with a collection of norms that reinvent the electoral system.”
Established in 1990, the Federal Electoral Institute oversaw Mexico’s transition to full democracy after the country was ruled uninterruptedly by the PRI for over 70 years until the PAN triumphed at the 2000 presidential election.
Poll results published by the Reforma newspaper last November showed that 80% of respondents believe that the INE has played an important role in guaranteeing democracy in Mexico while 71% said that its demise would pose a threat to democracy.
López Obrador blames the institute for his narrow loss at the 2006 presidential election, accusing it of perpetrating electoral fraud. He led mass protests against the official result and had himself sworn in as Mexico’s “legitimate president” in an event held in the Zócalo, Mexico City’s central square.
López Obrador said in late January that Córdova was a “public servant without principles or ideals” and “a fraud.”
The president also charged that the INE has been taken over by “conservatives” and that he won the 2018 election “despite them.”
He predicted Thursday that his “Plan B” reform would survive legal challenges because nothing in it is “outside the law.”
Felipe Calderón, Mexico's president from 2006-2012, took to Twitter to respond to the conviction of his former security minister, Genaro García Luna, this week. (FERNANDO CARRANZA GARCIA / CUARTOSCURO.COM.)
Felipe Calderón has defended his integrity and crime-fighting record as president after the man who was his security minister was convicted on criminal charges in the United States on Tuesday.
A jury in a federal court in New York found Genaro García Luna guilty of taking multi-million-dollar bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel in exchange for aiding its drug trafficking activities.
Genaro García Luna, left, was Mexico’s security minister during the presidency of Felipe Calderón, right. (Cuartoscuro)
In a response to the verdict that he posted on his Twitter account, Calderón — Mexico’s president from 2006 to 2012 — described himself as “a man of the law” and said that he respected the rulings of courts that act “in accordance with the law.”
“In my role as president and during my whole life, I’ve always been on the side of justice and the law, and I will always be on the side of victims,” he said in a statement.
“This ruling doesn’t discredit the brave fight of thousands of good police, soldiers, marines, judges and public servants who defended Mexican families from crime,” the ex-president added.
Calderón said that the guilty verdict against García Luna was being used “politically” to attack him, before he went on to outline a range of what he referred to as “facts” about his time in office.
Former Nayarit attorney general Edgar Veytia testified at García Luna’s trial that former president Caldéron wanted to protect now-jailed Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. (File photo)
“As president of Mexico, I fought with complete determination against crime … without respite or making a distinction between [criminal] groups,” he said.
“I never negotiated with nor made pacts with criminals. I never used the power vested in me as president to advocate for their interests,” said Calderón, who launched a militarized war on cartels shortly after he was sworn in as president in late 2006.
He also asserted that he was tougher on organized crime than any other president, combatting “all [groups] that threatened Mexico including the so-called Pacific Cartel,” as the Sinaloa Cartel is also known.
“Proof of that is that the majority of the self-confessed criminals that were used as witnesses [at the trial] were pursued, arrested and extradited by my government,” the former National Action Party president said.
Among other “facts” included in his statement were that his government’s security policy “yielded results” and that “the fight for the security of Mexicans wasn’t the responsibility of one person” alone.
At his regular news conference on Wednesday, President López Obrador, a long-term adversary of the ex-president, charged that Calderón’s response didn’t address the “issue in question” – whether he was aware of the criminal collusion of which García Luna was convicted.
“He said that he combatted crime with full force … but … what he omitted is the explanation … about why he appointed García Luna [as security minister] and whether he knew or didn’t know [about his criminal activities],” López Obrador said.
“… We want information, … that’s the explanation we’re waiting for.”
