Mexico
November 8, 2019
1. LeBarón family attack opens questions about Mexico’s security crisis
Members of the LeBarón Family, members of the Mormon community, were brutally assaulted by criminals while traveling on a road in the Sierra, on the border of Chihuahua and Sonora. The attack left six minors and three women dead, as well as several children injured by a firearm.
The attack suffered by LeBarón Family generated a strong reaction from U.S. officials and the political opposition in Mexico, which called into question the current security strategy of the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
El Sol de México: Masacran a los LeBarón, familia de activistas y mormones en Chihuahua
2. U.S. government offers help to “exterminate” criminals
U.S. President Donald Trump advised Mexico to begin a war against drug cartels with the help of the U.S. government, after the attack against the LeBarón family. U.S. President Donald Trump and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador held a telephone call in which they discussed Mexico’s security crisis.
Through several messages on Twitter, President Donald Trump reiterated the idea of building the wall on the border between Mexico and the United States due to the levels of violence in Mexico, a message that was supported by his Republican allies such as Mitt Romney and Lindsey Graham. Lindsey Graham added that he would rather go to Syria than to Mexico, due to the levels of violence.
La Jornada: Recomienda EU a México emprender guerra antinarco
3. Mexican Congress approves revocation of the mandate
The plenary of the Chamber of Deputies approved the constitutional reform that will introduce a recall mandate and also expand the issues that may be submitted to popular consultation.
A recall mandate could be requested just once during a six-year term and would have to be supported by a set number of citizens, equivalent to 3% of the total electorate. The project needs to be discussed and approved by at least 17 local congresspeople to become law.
Milenio: Diputados aprueban revocación de mandato; pasa a congresos locales
4. Senate appoints a new president for the National Human Rights Commission
The Senate appointed Rosario Piedra Ibarra as the new president of the National Human Rights Commission; for a period of five years.
María del Rosario Piedra Ibarra was a former candidate to the Chamber of Deputies in the 2018 elections by the Morena Party, and daughter of Eureka! Committee – a group of family members who denounced disappearances in the 1970s – founder and former senator Rosario Ibarra. The opposition challenged the appointment of Rosario Piedra for her proximity to President López Obrador.
Animal Político: Senado elige a Rosario Piedra, excandidata de Morena, como titular de CNDH
5. Business leaders are creating a code of ethics: President López Obrador
President López Obrador announced that the leaders of business organizations in Mexico are working on the development of a code of ethics, an initiative praised by the president.
President Obrador assured that the code of business ethics is necessary to avoid cases of corruption such as the Odebrecht case. He also assured that despite his differences with the business sector, he has maintained open channels of communication with them.