The key points of AMLO’s Mañanera on September 23

The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, offers his traditional press conference from the Treasury Hall of the National Palace, in Mexico City.

The key points of AMLO’s morning session on September 23:

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ELECTIONS IN BRAZIL

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said that his sympathy for Lula da Silva is public and well-known, but he pointed out that he hopes that Brazilians can freely decide in the next elections what they consider best for the country. He also added that his namesake from Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has been respectful and has never questioned the Mexican government.

“I cannot comment on that, the truth is that President Bolsonaro has been respectful of us, he has never questioned Mexico, nor have we questioned his government, but it is public, our sympathy in Brazil for Lula is well known. But I can’t say more,” he said.

“They have suffered dictatorships and have fought for a long time, that the people of Brazil freely decide what they consider best for their country,” he said.

COMPLAINT AGAINST PEMEX

AMLO commented that the director of Pemex, Octavio Romero Oropeza, informed him that there is a complaint from Cofece accusing Pemex of being a monopoly in the distribution of gasoline and of giving preference to individuals.

THE JUDGE THAT RELEASED 120 IMPLICATED IN THE AYOTZINAPA CASE

Regarding the judge who is handling the Ayotzinapa case and has released 120 implicated, the president indicated that if the Judiciary is wrong “with all due respect to its autonomy” and “everything has to do with due process and failures in the integration of the files that presents the MP”.

“As far as we are concerned, we are going to file a criminal complaint,” he said.

REFORM TO THE JUDICIARY

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador insisted that a reform of the Judiciary is needed because “yes, it’s wrong,” with respect to its independence, pointing to the case of Judge Samuel Ventura Ramos for exonerating 120 detainees in the Ayotzinapa case.

“There has to be a review of this procedure within the Judiciary, this cannot continue to be maintained like this and that the autonomy of the judges, if we come to that, that judge is the State. Who chose him to be the head of the State? Because he is above everything, does he have absolute power?  Because he is autonomous, this must be reviewed, without a doubt, as long as we are there we will continue to insist and in what corresponds to us we will denounce this case,” he said.

AMLO PROPOSES A CONSULTATION ON THE BILL TO THE NATIONAL GUARD

The president expressed that the best thing is to make a consultation to the citizens about the bill to the National Guard and it is not a top issue, and “I already have the proposal of 3 questions”:

• Do you agree with the action of the National Guard and its performance so far?
• Do you think that the Armed Forces, the Army and the Navy should continue doing public security work until 2028 or that they return to their barracks in March 2024?
• What is your opinion, that the National Guard becomes part of the Ministry of National Defense or depends on the Ministry of the Interior or Public Security?

PEACE PROPOSAL FOR UKRAINE

The president informed that Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the latter told him that they viewed Mexico’s peace proposal well.

AGREEMENT NOT TO INCREASE PRICES OF BASIC PRODUCTS

The president described as a “very good meeting” with producers and distributors that took place on September 22, since they agreed not to increase the price of basic products to control inflation and said that on October 3 in the morning they will be informed in detail on the strengthening of the anti-inflationary plan.

“The unanimous agreement was reached to maintain prices without increases in basic products, food, we reached that agreement and others, the important thing is that everyone agreed to help, I even told them: ‘I knew that you were going to rise to the occasion of the circumstances and that they were going to help us’ and I told them ‘Do you know why everyone is helping? For Mexico, because we all owe a lot to our country,” he said.

With information from Sputnik