© Archyde.com/DANIEL BECERRIL
Stock image. General view of high-voltage power transmission lines owned by the Mexican state-owned CFE, in Santa Catarina
MEXICO CITY, March 24 (Archyde.com) – The allies of the president of Mexico in the Chamber of Deputies seek to approve, before the end of Holy Week, a controversial constitutional reform that would give the state greater control of the electricity sector, reported Thursday the coordinator of the ruling party Morena in the lower house.
Ignacio Mier, head of the Morena bench in the Chamber of Deputies, assured that the formal work will begin next week to rule on the initiative sent by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in October 2021.
Later, on April 11, the proposal – which will undergo changes – will be discussed in the Energy and Constitutional Points commissions of the lower house. A day later, the decision will be voted on and on April 13 it will be submitted for debate in the plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies.
In February, the president of the Energy Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, Manuel Rodríguez, said in an interview with Archyde.com that Morena wanted to approve the reform, with some adjustments, before the end of April, but that he still did not have two thirds. of votes needed to do so.
The reform aims to put the electricity sector in the hands of the state Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), as well as eliminate regulatory bodies, eliminate permits and guarantee the nation’s dominance over the coveted lithium reserves.
Business leaders and foreign officials, including from the United States, have raised concerns that the proposed executive order might deter private investment and trigger international legal disputes.
The ruling National Regeneration Movement (Morena) and its allies from the Green Party and the Labor Party (PT) have 280 seats in the lower house, but to approve the initiative – which implies a change to the Magna Carta – they need 53 additional votes.
If approved by the deputies, the reform will be sent on April 14 to the Senate, where Morena needs 15 additional votes to reach two thirds. If it advances, the norm must finally be endorsed by the majority of the 32 local congresses, largely dominated by Morena.
(Reporting by Diego Oré; Editing by Lizbeth Díaz)
