Claudia Sheinbaum's Presidency: Summary and Analysis of Day 23

Violence in Guanajuato and Guerrero, growing inflation, INE given green light to plan popular election of judicial branch...this is day 23 of Sheinbaum's presidency.

Today’s mañanera focused on Mexico’s highway infrastructure with plans to initiate various new projects as well as plans to complete several projects that began during the AMLO administration. The Head of the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transportation joined the press conference to offer an update on nine of such projects.

President Sheinbaum acknowledged that the Superior Chamber of the Electoral Tribunal of the Judicial Branch of the Federation (TEPJF) confirmed that the National Electoral Institute (INE) should proceed with the logistical planning and organization of the judicial branch elections for next year. This comes after various injunctions to halt preparations for the electoral process.

Yesterday, the federal Chamber of Deputies unanimously voted to approve a constitutional reform to enshrine existing social welfare programs in the Constitution to ensure their perpetuity. This is an attempt to ensure the continuity of the social programs that originally came into force during the AMLO administration. Lawmakers affirmed the importance of continuing social programs, regardless of the party in office. Programs to be incorporated into the reform include Sembrando Vida (Sowing Life), programs for people with permanent disabilities, as well as plans to reduce the age requirement for pension for the elderly from 68 to 65 years. President Sheinbaum commented on the passage of this reform, specifically the contradictory nature of the opposition parties in Mexico whose leaders have publicly criticized the social programs, but whose members voted to support them.

A new federal agency is in the works and is to be called the Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency, with a focus on ensuring and enhancing internet connectivity and satellites.

A video obtained by the Mexican newspaper Reforma shows a civilian being shot at while driving by members of the Mexican Army and National Guard. The official narrative states that the victim was transporting two armed individuals, one of whom shot at the military officials, thus initiating the conflict. The video shows the soldiers shooting at the vehicle, forcing it to eventually crash into a post. Audio from the scene reveals that the soldiers continued shooting at the vehicle, even after the crash, with the soldiers yelling “kill him.” Moments later, one of the soldiers realizes that security cameras are filming the scene, thus prompting one of them to alert the other soldiers who then “rescued” the injured victim. Of note, these “armed suspects” who prompted the confrontation, according to the official narrative, are not seen once in the video recordings. The individual was not charged and a federal judge freed him. The president commented on the situation during today’s mañanera, reiterating that Mexico’s Armed Forces have been instructed to avoid confrontation where possible and that the government will not permit extrajudicial killings, but they are permitted to act in self-defense.

President Sheinbaum commented on the recent shootout between armed civilians and the Army in Culiacán that left 19 people dead and led to the capture of “El Oso.” She said that the Army’s response was within the framework of the law, stating that when attacked, they can act in self-defense. She also stated that a project is being developed to assist people and businesses affected by the violence in Sinaloa.

Commenting on the news that the Guzmán López brothers are negotiating a plea deal with the US government, Sheinbaum stated that the Mexican government has not been informed of the details. She also said that there is no update on the arrest of El Mayo by US authorities.

Thursday morning was a violent one for parts of Guanajuato and Guerrero. In Guanajuato, two car bombs were detonated an hour apart on Thursday morning, one in Acámbaro outside of a police station (resulting in three injured police officers - one of whom is in serious condition) and the other in Jerécuaro which mostly affected commercial properties and nearby houses. The Attorney General’s Office is set to investigate, but preliminary reports allege that this violence comes after a confrontation between organized crime groups and police in the state. Of note, three days before the car bombs, there was a confrontation between armed civilians and the police department, on the highway that connects Acámbaro and Jerécuaro, resulting in the arrest of three individuals. This region of Guanajuato borders Michoacán and the territory is constantly under dispute between rival drug trafficking groups.

In the early hours of Thursday morning, violence broke out between armed civilians and police in Tecpan de Galana, Guerrero, with several rounds of gunfire exchanged and the arrival of armed civilians patrolling the area to announce their intention to patrol the area. However, after two hours of confrontation, the Public Security Secretariat of Guerrero announced that the situation was under control. Some eyewitnesses say that today’s violence is the result of a new group vying for control over the municipality.

Mid-month inflation in Mexico reached 4.69% in the first two weeks of October, rate cuts are set to resume next month.