Vote on investigating ex-presidents for corruption to cost 500 million pesos

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June 23, 2021

INE-approved-referendum-ballot on whether to prosecute Mexico's past presidents — The referendum ballot, finalized earlier this month by the National Electoral Institute, was drawn up by the Supreme Court.

A referendum on whether five past presidents should be investigated for corruption will cost approximately 520 million pesos (US $25.7 million), according to the National Electoral Institute (INE).

A vote will be held on August 1 at which citizens will be indirectly asked whether they support the investigation of Carlos Salinas, Ernesto Zedillo, Vicente Fox, Felipe Calderón and Enrique Peña Nieto for possible acts of corruption while they were in office between 1988 and 2018.

The Supreme Court granted approval for the referendum last October, and the Congress subsequently backed the proposal put forward by President López Obrador. The Supreme Court also drew up the question that will appear on ballot papers.

“Do you agree or not that pertinent actions be carried out, in accordance with the constitutional and legal framework, to undertake a process of clarification of political decisions taken in past years by political actors aimed at guaranteeing justice and the rights of possible victims?”

Electoral councilor José Roberto Ruiz Saldeña said the consultation’s cost will be covered by savings generated by the INE. “… It could vary slightly, up or down,” he said, explaining that the cost has not yet been definitively determined.

Five past presidents discussed in Mexico referendum question — The five presidents in question, from left to right: Carlos Salinas, Ernesto Zedillo, Vicente Fox, Felipe Calderón, Enrique Peña Nieto.

The INE asked the Chamber of Deputies for almost 1.5 billion pesos (US $74.2 million) to hold the referendum, but the lower house of Congress refused to approve such a large figure. The electoral authority had planned to set up some 104,000 voting tables, but due to a lack of resources, it will only install about 57,000, Ruiz said.

“All the material left over from the June 6 elections [that] can be reused, such as permanent ink [for marking voters’ thumbs] and pencils, will be distributed to the [voting] tables,” the INE councilor said.

López Obrador frequently rails against his predecessors, accusing them of corruption and all other manner of wrongdoing, but he has indicated that he doesn’t support prosecuting past presidents because he prefers looking to the future rather than dwelling on the past. However, he has remained adamant that citizens must be given the opportunity to have their say on the issue.

A poll published last August found that an overwhelming majority of Mexicans believe that former presidents and other ex-officials who committed crimes while in office should face justice.

Responding to a remark from Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum that the August 1 vote will be the “most democratic exercise in the history of the country,” Fox — who was president from 2000 to 2006 — disagreed. He tweeted on Wednesday that the referendum will actually be “the biggest nonsense in the world.”

Calderón, Fox’s successor, said last year that if López Obrador has proof that he committed corruption, he should take it to the federal Attorney General’s Office instead of holding a referendum.

“… If he doesn’t have proof or specific accusations, … he should stop harassing me and respect my rights like any other citizen,” he said.

On Tuesday, he retweeted a post by former chief electoral regulator Luis Carlos Ugalde.

“… Instead of throwing away 505 million pesos, … we should demand that the government present complaints when there is evidence of corruption. The August 1 consultation is a farce,” the tweet read.

With reports from El Universal

Mayor-elect arrested on suspicion of killing candidate in Veracruz

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MND Staff

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June 23, 2021

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veracruz murder — The victim and winner of the election, left, and the murder suspect, his campaign manager.

The mayor-elect of Cazones de Herrera, Veracruz, has been arrested for planning the murder of his party’s original candidate for the June 6 elections.

The man, identified only as Omar “N,” was campaign manager for Citizens Movement candidate René Tovar, who was shot and killed on June 4 when he resisted abduction from his home. One other person was wounded in the attack.

Tovar was posthumously elected two days later with his name still on the ballot, and Omar “N” was set to assume the role in his absence.

The state Attorney General’s Office believed that contradictions in the suspect’s police statements were grounds to pursue prosecution.

President López Obrador confirmed the connection between the victim and the accused at his morning news conference. “We are in the process of finding out whether one of the candidates in Veracruz — one of the possible people involved according to the investigations — was his campaign manager,” he said on Wednesday.

“We don’t want those horrors,” he added.

The electoral season for the June 6 vote was the most violent on record. Risk analysis firm Etellekt, which tracks election campaign violence, reported that there were 1,066 acts of aggression against politicians and candidates between September 7, 2020 and June 6, a 38% increase compared to the 2017–2018 electoral season, when a total of 774 such incidents were recorded.

One-hundred and two of the incidents were homicides; 36 of the victims were aspiring candidates.

Veracruz was the most dangerous place to run for office by some distance, where 152 acts of aggression were recorded. The second most dangerous was Puebla, with a considerably lower count of 100 such incidents.

The governor of Veracruz had attempted to maintain pre-election peace just before the killing, with the deployment of more than 5,000 security forces throughout the state.

With reports from Infobae and Milenio

Debunking fake news to become a regular feature of AMLO’s press conference

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MND Staff

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June 23, 2021

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AMLO fake news — The president displays the kind of 'fake news' he will debunk, in this case a rumor about his son buying the Cruz Azul soccer team.

Debunking fake news — or what the federal government classifies as such — is set to become a regular feature of President López Obrador’s morning press conferences.

The president, who frequently declares he has “other information” when confronted with media reports with which he doesn’t agree, said Wednesday that a government official will present and disprove fake news on a weekly basis at his pressers, which are held every weekday morning at the National Palace in Mexico City.

“… We’re going to have … someone from the government who tells us the lies of the week; a who’s who in the lies of the week in order to combat fake news,” he said.

“There are some [media outlets] that will always take first place, the gold medal, but we’ll be exposing them here and informing the people because there are those who swallow all [the fake news],” López Obrador said. “… We’re going to have this section once a week.”

He said he got his idea for the fake news exposé sessions after hearing of a rumor spread on Twitter that one of his sons was going to buy the Mexico City-based Cruz Azul professional soccer team.

“A message came out on Twitter a few days ago that one of my sons was going to buy the Cruz Azul stadium, the team actually. And a famous person put it [on Twitter], right? … I remember that for a long time they showed one of my sons with a car, a Ferrari, but it wasn’t him. Our adversaries really are very immoral; I’ve always said it,” he said.

The president suggested that his adversaries — whom he often describes as “conservatives” or “elites” — should watch his daily news conferences so that they can avoid being manipulated by fake news. He claimed earlier this week that there was a “very powerful campaign of manipulation,” or a “dirty war,” against his government and the ruling Morena party in the lead-up to the June 6 elections, especially in Mexico City, where the opposition won nine of the 16 boroughs.

“… You have to be [properly] informed,” López Obrador said Wednesday. “We’ll be here making all the fake news known and clearing things up …, even though there are conservative people who don’t want to watch the morning news conference or even see us,” he said.

“… That’s why they’re manipulated. Because if they watched my news conferences, they would have information about what’s [really] happening, but [if they don’t watch], they’re left only with the information that their media gives them,” the president said.

With reports from Reforma

Sargassum is piling up on Quintana Roo beaches and more is expected

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MND Staff

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June 23, 2021

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Brigades collect sargassum from Playa Marlin in Cancún.

Large amounts of sargassum continue to plague many beaches in Quintana Roo, although the overall situation in the Caribbean coast state has improved considerably over the last week.

There are 22 beaches with excessive amounts of the smelly seaweed and 15 with abundant quantities, according to the Quintana Roo Sargassum Monitoring Network, which published an updated map on Wednesday morning. There were 47 beaches with excessive quantities of sargassum on Tuesday of last week.

The latest map shows that eight beaches in the Tulum area and all those located on the east coast of Cozumel have excessive amounts of sargassum as do Playa Aventuras, Punta Esmeralda and Playa El Recodo in Playa del Carmen and Nizuc Playa Coral in Cancún. Other beaches in Cancún have abundant, moderate or very low quantities.

The navy said in its daily sargassum report on Tuesday that the arrival of abundant quantities was expected in the south of Quintana Roo, affecting the coastline between Mahahual and Tulum. Lesser quantities were expected to wash up on beaches in Solidaridad, the municipality where Playa del Carmen is located, and on Cozumel.

Experts at the University of South Florida said that sargassum in the Caribbean Sea was at a “historical record” in May and that large quantities could wash up on beaches throughout the 2021 sargassum season, as occurred in 2018.

Quintana Roo beachgoers cross sargassum barriers to reach the water earlier this month.

The navy, which leads efforts to remove sargassum from the sea before it reaches beaches, last week identified more than 2,000 tonnes of the weed off the coast of Quintana Roo.

Governor Carlos Joaquín acknowledged Monday that authorities’ capacity to stop the arrival of sargassum on the state’s famous white sand beaches has been affected by weather conditions.

“[It’s been] impossible to stop the brown tide when the wind is strong and the sea is crashing with so much force, as has been happening in recent days,” he said.

Large swells allow the seaweed to breach anti-sargassum barriers and prevent the navy’s sargassum-gathering vessels from going to sea, Joaquín said.

There are many difficulties in the quest to stop sargassum from washing up on beaches, the governor said. “It’s like trying to control or stop the winds during a storm or hurricane,” he said.

Joaquín said that progress has been made, citing the installation of barriers and the construction and use of sargassum-gathering vessels, among other measures, but the seaweed has recently arrived in such large volumes that it appears no work has been done. The governor also said that about 16,000 tonnes of sargassum has been cleared from beaches so far this year and approximately 700 tonnes has been removed from the sea.

Quintana Roo Sargassum Monitoring Network map 6-23-2021 — The latest map published by the Quintana Roo Sargassum Monitoring Network on Wednesday. Red indicates beaches with excessive amounts.

But a coalition of environmental and tourism groups wants the authorities to do more to address the sargassum problem, circulating a petition to that end that declared that “we are drowning in sargassum!”

“The predictions are that the amounts arriving in 2021 may be larger” than in 2018 or 2019, the petition said.

“If this isn’t handled immediately, the environment, public health and the local economy are in grave danger,” said the coalition, made up of 29 groups including the Cancún Hotel Association and the Mexican Center of Environmental Law.

“Tonnes of sargassum piling up and decaying on beaches has contributed to erosion, which wipes out sea grasses and marine life, deteriorates coastal water quality and seriously affects the coral reefs of Mexico’s Caribbean,” it said.

Environmentalists have also warned that if sargassum collected from beaches and the sea is simply sent to landfills to rot, the weed – which emits sulfuric acid and arsenic once removed from water – could contaminate aquifers and supplies of fresh water.

Very little sargassum reached Quintana Roo beaches prior to 2014 but very large quantities of the weed have arrived annually since then. Climate change, pollution from fertilizers and changing ocean flows and currents are among the factors cited for the increased quantities, much of which floats up to the Caribbean sea from the Atlantic Ocean off the east coast of South America.

Hauling away collected sargassum in nets. — Sargassum is gathered and bagged in nets on one of the navy’s sargassum gathering vessels.

The annual arrival of sargassum is considered a deterrent to tourism in Quintana Roo, but that sector is currently recovering strongly from the pandemic-induced downturn.

Joaquin said on Twitter that 506 flights landed or took off from airports in the state over the weekend, the highest number since the start of the pandemic. The reactivation of tourism in Quintana Roo, and in states such as Baja California Sur and Yucatán, has been blamed for a recent increase in coronavirus case numbers.

“We’re recovering our tourism so be doubly careful,” Joaquin wrote on Twitter. “Use a face mask, [keep] a healthy distance [from others] and wash your hands. The vaccine doesn’t make you immune from #COVID19.”

With reports from AP and El Economista

Lack of growth in construction industry ‘bad news:’ deputy governor

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MND Staff

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June 23, 2021

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Growth figures for the construction industry represent “very bad news,” Bank of México deputy governor Jonathan Heath said Tuesday.

The sector grew by 1.2% in April in annual terms, but contracted 1.8% on the previous month, data from the national statistics agency Inegi had shown earlier in the day.

Construction should be showing double-digit growth, according to Heath. “In principle, most of the indicators should show high annual rates, in the two digits, as of April given the arithmetic effects of the comparative base,” he wrote on Twitter.

A rebound may not be forthcoming: economic analyst at Banco Base, Gabriela Siller, said that future growth in construction is uncertain due to a possible rebound in Covid cases, lack of public and private investment and increased material costs.

The year-on-year growth in April was the first increase after 33 months of consecutive drops. However, that incremental rise is potentially deceiving: it is largely due to the collapse in the sector’s activity last year, meaning April 2020 was far less productive than the preceding month.

The construction data contrasts with recent figures that paint a picture of an economic recovery gathering pace after gross domestic product fell by some 8.5% last year, the most since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

In fact, the president forecast on Friday that by the third quarter the economy would reach pre-pandemic levels.

Mexico’s economy grew 24.8% in May compared with the same month last year, according to a preliminary estimate published by Inegi.

With reports from El Economista, Expansión and Reuters

Canadian miner’s subsidiaries accuse sabotage by union

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MND Staff

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June 22, 2021

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Americas Gold and Silver's San Rafael Mine in Cosalá, Sinaloa.

Two subsidiaries of Canadian mining company Americas Gold and Silver have filed criminal complaints against members of the mining union, led by ruling party Senator Napoleón Gómez Urrutia, for illegal occupation and sabotage of their operations in Cosalá, Sinaloa.

Members of the National Union of Mine and Metal Workers seized control of the Canadian company’s San Rafael lead mine and its processing plant 1 1/2 years ago.

According to a “chronology of the illegal blockade at Cosalá operations” published on the Americas Gold and Silver website, a small group led by Yasser Beltrán Kurioca forcefully took possession of the mine and mill by blocking access on January 26, 2020.

According to a report published by the newspaper Reforma on Monday, two subsidiaries that operate the mine and mill filed complaints with the Sinaloa Attorney General’s Office. They each claimed that the closure of their facilities has cost them US $150,000 per day.

Their combined losses now total US $153 million, Reforma said, adding that one of the complaints was referred to the federal Attorney General’s Office.

According to the complaints, the union invaders evicted mine workers, seized control of the mine and mill and blocked access to the site, located about 180 kilometers northeast of Mazatlán. They also allegedly altered the operation of the mine, changed the flow of water into it and stole lead concentrate using dump trucks.

The takeover of the mine and its mill is related to a collective contract dispute that dates back to 2019.

In April this year, more than 700 people, including mine workers and residents of Cosalá, wrote to President López Obrador to seek his assistance to reopen the mine.

They said that Beltrán Kurioca — described by Reforma as an “operator” of Gómez Urrutia — does not represent them and that he and his group have only caused problems.

“Beltrán doesn’t live in Cosalá; that’s why he doesn’t know what the situation we’re going through means. His presence is an obstacle to finding a solution for all of us,” the letter said.

López Obrador hasn’t responded, Reforma said.

With reports from Reforma

Ancient Maya site explorers will find fertile ground in Cobá’s lengthy history

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Thilini Wijesinhe

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June 22, 2021

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Xaibé pyramid at the Maya ruins of Coba — The distinctively shaped pyramid of Xaibé. Its purpose remains unknown, but archaeologists speculate that it was an astronomical observatory.

Cobá is considered one of the most important ancient Maya cities in the present-day Yucatán peninsula. Situated within a day trip’s distance from Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Mérida, and just 47 kilometers from Tulum, the site is surrounded by jungles and lakes and is close to a few cenotes.

Cobá was first mentioned in contemporary texts by American explorer John Lloyd Stephens in 1842, although the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) says that he did not visit the site. In 1886, a former director of the Yucatecan Museum, Juan Peón Contreras, visited Cobá, but important archaeological explorations there did not begin until the 20th century.

Cobá is a city that has maintained its original name — Mayan for Chopped Water. The first settlement — thought to have consisted of small villages around lakes — dates to between 100 B.C. and A.D. 300. The city peaked in development during A.D. 600–1000, and Cobá had maintained relations with other Maya cities in the Petén — in Guatemala — as well as in Mexico during the Mesoamerican Classic Period.

Around A.D. 900–1000, Cobá entered a power struggle with Chichén Itzá and was defeated. While its power declined after, the city continued for several more centuries and was eventually abandoned around the 16th century.

Cobá extended to over 70 square kilometers with an extensive road network of about 50 white roads — elevated roads with a white surface. Two significant roads include a 100-kilometer road to Yaxuná, a Maya city close to Chichén Itzá, and a 20-kilometer road to the Ixil in Yucatán. The main area of the city was surrounded by five lagoons, and there are two notable lakes — Lake Cobá and Lake Macanxoc — by the archaeological zone.

Ball court Coba ruins in Yucatan — Panels on the walls of this impressive ball court feature the figures of prisoners.

During its peak, Cobá’s population is thought to have been over 50,000. INAH says archaeologists have identified 14 rulers who guided Cobá to its grandeur. A female ruler named Ixik … Yopaat (the ellipsis indicates where letters were illegible in the ancient reference to her), who ruled for 40 years in the early seventh century, is noted as one of the most important.

You will enter the archaeological zone by beautiful Lake Cobá. There are four main groups of buildings and many other structures distributed across the site. Hence, prepare for some extensive walking. You can also rent a bicycle or a bike taxi to explore some areas of the site.

By the entrance is the Cobá Group, identified as the oldest section with over 50 structures and several stelae — carved or inscribed stone slabs or pillars. Six white roads begin and end in this group.

A significant building here is the nine-tier pyramid called The Church with its temple on top measuring over 24 meters in height. The Church is the second tallest building on the site. A stela and an altar sit in front of the pyramid, and it is speculated that some people in the area still worship the stela, which they believe represents a virgin called Colebí. Unfortunately, climbing this pyramid is not allowed.

The plaza in front of the pyramid is thought to have held religious and other everyday activities. Next to it is an interesting structure with a vaulted passage below its stairway.

A must-see in this group is the ball court — one of two on the site. The ball court has two parallel buildings with ball rings, but, notably, panels on the walls with figures of prisoners.

Close up of Nohoch Mul pyramid — A close-up of Cobá’s Nohoch Mul pyramid.

North of the Cobá Group is the Group D buildings. A highlight in this area is the Paintings Group, which features the Temple of the Paintings — a pyramid structure with a temple on top that has remains of murals. Climbing this building for a closer view is unfortunately not allowed.

The second ball court is also in Group D, which has the prisoner-figure panels as well as two markers of stone carvings in the playing area. One marker is identified as a skull, and the other an animal — possibly a jaguar.

An absolute must-see in this section, however, is the distinctively shaped four-tier pyramid called Xaibé — Mayan for Crossroads. Several white roads connect by this pyramid, whose exact purpose is unknown, although there is speculation it was an observatory.

North of Group D is the Nohoch Mul Group, with its famous Nohoch Mul Pyramid. Nohoch Mul is Mayan for “great mound.” Only a few of the Nohoch Mul Group buildings have been explored.

This seven-tier pyramid is the tallest building on the site, measuring around 40 meters tall and featuring a temple on top. The crowning temple has images of the “Diving God” — a god portrayed upside-down.

A second stairway of the pyramid leads to a room on a lower floor thought to be a temple. While climbing is usually allowed on this pyramid, it was cordoned off when we visited due to the ongoing pandemic. In the plaza to the south of the pyramid is a notable stela, considered the best-preserved of the site and said to depict a ruler.

East of the Cobá Group and Lake Macanxoc is the Macanxoc Group of buildings, considered mostly ceremonial in purpose. There are multiple buildings on a platform, eight stelae and several altars worth seeing. Archaeologists have yet to explore some of its structures.

The shady atmosphere makes exploring a pleasant experience despite the warm temperatures almost year-round. We spotted many beautiful birds and monkeys in the surrounding wilderness while there.

Once you’re done exploring Cobá, refresh with a swim at one of the area’s three nearby cenotes — Choo-Ha, Tankach-Ha and Multum-Ha.

Thilini Wijesinhe, a financial professional turned writer and entrepreneur, moved to Mexico in 2019 from Australia. She writes from Mérida, Yucatán. Her website can be found at https://momentsing.com/

Mexico seen as bastion on calendar of Formula E electric car race

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MND Staff

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June 22, 2021

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The Miguel E. Abed track in Puebla city.

Mexico is a prized host for Formula E races, the competition’s regional director said on the eve of the sixth annual race in Mexico, held this year in Puebla.

Races are normally awarded to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. But when the circuit was converted into a hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic, Puebla took over hosting duties: the city showcased two days of racing over the weekend at the Autódromo Internacional Miguel E. Abed.

Formula E Latin America director Álvaro Buenaventura stated how highly Mexico is valued by organizers. “For us Mexico is one of the bastions of the calendar, it is one of our star dates and it is one of Formula E’s favorite countries. Whether it is Puebla, Mexico City or another city in the country, the goal is to keep coming to Mexico,” he said.

He added that Mexican fans were an important factor. “We have a very important fan base in this country. There is a motorsport culture, even more so now seeing how [Formula 1 driver] Checo [Pérez] is doing … it is a priority to keep coming to Mexico for Formula E,” he said.

The director explained that the track in Puebla was chosen in some part because of family connections. “The Abed family are from Puebla. José Abed is the vice-president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) at the global level; and Jorge, his son, is director of the [national association] OMDAI.”

WHAT A START! The moment we went green at @autodromo_abed 🤩

Click here for LIVE updates 👉 https://t.co/qD4c9DojZZ

🇲🇽 2021 CBMM Niobium #PueblaEPrix pic.twitter.com/mpzK3bdbTe

— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) June 20, 2021

However, he made it clear that Mexico City remains the prime destination. “For us, [Autódromo] Hermanos Rodríguez fulfills all the good things about being in the center of the country with incredible facilities. If we were going to Mexico City, we would continue with the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez without any doubt,” he said.

The weekend’s race in Puebla was won by Swiss driver Edoardo Mortara for ROKiT Venturi Racing, which took him to the top of the leader board.

With reports from AS México

Head of government’s internal corruption watchdog replaced

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MND Staff

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June 22, 2021

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As Sandoval expressed gratitude for having been part of the government, the president looked distinctly unimpressed.

President López Obrador on Monday announced the replacement of Irma Sandoval as head of the government’s internal corruption watchdog.

The president said that Roberto Salcedo, who served under Sandoval as deputy minister for auditing and the fight against corruption, would become the new head of the Ministry of Public Administration (SFP).

“We thank Irma very much for her support. She is a woman who fights for justice and for democracy,” López Obrador said in a video message posted to social media, adding that she made “very important” contributions to the government’s fight against corruption and the implementation of its austerity policies.

“We are entering a new stage, and we are going to carry out new reforms,” the president said, citing a proposed constitutional change to save money by centralizing currently autonomous government agencies.

“… It’s a good change [in the leadership of the SFP] and … I thank Roberto for accepting the position,” he said in his office in the company of both Sandoval and Salcedo.

Meeting between AMLO, Irma Sandoval and Roberto Salcedo — Despite smiles as the president replaced Sandoval with Roberto Salcedo, left, the president and Sandoval’s relationship has reportedly been distant.

“… The aim is to continue combatting corruption, not allow corruption, to banish corruption from our country and to continue acting as an austere and honest government,” López Obrador said.

The president didn’t offer a specific reason for replacing Sandoval, a former academic who faced her own accusations of corruption last year, but Security Minister Rosa Rodríguez presented data earlier on Monday that showed that unspecified crimes committed by public servants increased 8% in the first five months of the year.

According to a report by the newspaper El Universal that cited unnamed government insiders, there were two main factors that led to her removal.

One was the media attention on Sandoval last year for allegedly failing to declare multimillion-peso properties she owns and the other was her support for her brother, Pablo Sandoval, to become the ruling Morena party’s candidate for governor in Guerrero over López Obrador’s preferred candidate, Félix Salgado.

The latter was nominated but ultimately replaced by his daughter after he was barred from running for failing to disclose his campaign expenses.

Sandoval’s support for her brother affected her previously close relationship with the president, El Universal said, noting also that the pair didn’t appear to be on the friendliest terms during their appearance together in López Obrador’s video.

Cambio de titular en la Secretaría de la Función Publica

Watch this video on YouTube

The video in which the president announced the departure of his minister of public administration.

“The presidential office seemed like a freezer this afternoon,” the newspaper said, adding that López Obrador announced the replacement of Sandoval in a “serious tone.”

“… She spoke … of the social struggle of her family, that she’s returning to UNAM [the National Autonomous University], that [Mexico’s] corruption perception statistics improved but she never managed a smile or [received] a gesture of empathy from President López Obrador, who looked a little bored …” El Universal said.

Sandoval highlighted that 200 billion pesos (US $9.8 billion) has been saved through austerity policies and that Mexico has risen 14 places on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) since the new government took office. It currently ranks 124th out of 180 countries.

However, the newspaper Reforma, which is generally critical of the government, asserted that the outgoing public administration minister did not achieve “clear results” in the fight against corruption.

It noted that Mexico fell three places on the Americas Society/Council of the Americas 2021 Capacity to Combat Corruption Index and that Sandoval exonerated high-ranking officials of corruption charges.

“… She exonerated Federal Electricity Commission director, Manuel Bartlett, who failed to declare the existence of 23 homes and 12 companies in the name of his partner and children,” Reforma said.

Guerrero governor candidate Pablo Sandoval — The president’s relationship with Sandoval reportedly cooled after she advocated for her brother, Pablo Sandoval, to be Guerrero’s Morena candidate for governor.

“She also exonerated the former deputy [foreign affairs] minister for North America, Jesús Seade, who was accused of embezzlement and abuse of office for using public resources to pay for private travel.”

With reports from Milenio, Reforma, El Universal and Reuters

Women’s groups exhibit 120 denunciations against deadbeat dads

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MND Staff

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June 22, 2021

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Posters of 'irresponsible fathers' on display in San Luis Potosí.

Women’s groups in San Luis Potosí city have hung posters in the main square denouncing fathers who have failed to provide for their children.

The posters feature 120 “deadbeat dads” — among them are engineers, teachers and civil servants — some of whom have allegedly been absent from their children’s lives for more than 18 years.

Aside from shaming the fathers, the protest aims to highlight the laws that favor irresponsible parents, and allow them to dodge their legal obligations.

Many of the posters display photos of the men in question, and give a description of their misdeeds. “Abandoned. Didn’t want to know his son,” one read.

“Hasn’t given financial support in three years,” read another.

“Fatherhood has to be affectionate and empathetic. The nutritional support of children isn’t a favor; it’s an obligation,” another mother had written.

One participant detailed the legal loopholes that enable apathetic fathers. “There are very bad fathers that play the system, changing jobs and not staying in one permanently, changing address, doing odd jobs or fee based work in order not to provide what they are obliged to to their children. They are not present, neither economically nor in terms of their care.”

With reports from El Universal San Luis Potosí