Mexico’s President-elect Delays Decision on Constitutional Reforms

Mexico City – Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s President-elect, stated on Thursday that no decision has been reached regarding a set of constitutional reforms proposed by outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, as reported by local media.

The potential prospect of Sheinbaum’s leftist Morena party and its allies obtaining the two-thirds super-majority required in both chambers of Congress to pass the contentious measures without opposition caused turmoil in Mexican markets this week.

In response to inquiries about the reforms, Sheinbaum remarked, “There has been no decision. My stance is that dialogue needs to take place, and the proposal must be evaluated.” Critics have voiced concerns that certain reforms could abolish essential oversight bodies, undermine judicial independence, and centralize more power within the executive branch.

According to the interior minister’s preliminary results on Wednesday, Morena and its coalition partners, the Green Party and Labor Party, are expected to secure 83 seats in the Senate out of a total of 128 when the new Congress convenes in September.

Although this falls just short of the two-thirds majority required to amend the constitution, Morena could potentially negotiate with other parties to secure the necessary votes. In the lower house of Congress, comprising 500 members, the ruling leftist coalition is projected to hold 372 seats, granting them a super-majority.