Mexico dissolves seven watchdogs
Nov. 19, 2024
Mexico’s Senate approved a reform that dissolves several autonomous government watchdog organizations. The governing Morena party said the move will reduce corruption and spending — the the employees and responsibilities would be absorbed by other federal agencies. But critics say it is a blow against transparency and regulation, and that the same agencies that carry out tasks would then audit them.
Many of the affected agencies were created in the 2000s or 2010s, part of an effort to strengthen Mexico’s then-nascent multi-party democracy.
Because the bill reforms the constitution, it must now be approved by 17 state legislatures before going to the president for signature — but Morena’s preponderance means this is all but guaranteed.
Among the agencies on the chopping block: the National Institute for Transparency, Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data, known as INAI.
(El País, New York Times, Aristegui Noticias)
Venezuela
Venezuelan lawmakers approved a bill that codifies economic sanctions, like those imposed by the United States, as crimes against humanity. It allows the prosecution of anyone who expresses support for the measures, reports the Associated Press.
Argentina
Argentine President Javier Milei spoke to The Economist: “I still consider the state to be a violent criminal organisation that lives from a coercive source of income called taxes, which are a remnant of slavery. The larger the size of the state, the more freedom and property are curtailed. Consequently, that is the north star. My anarcho-capitalist philosophy would imply the elimination of the state, but that is a theoretical, philosophical approach. In real life, let’s say, I am a minarchist. So, anything I can do to remove the interference of the state, I am going to do it.”
Milei is often associated with the U.S. president-elect — in no small part because they themselves have expressed affinity for each other. But the Economist puts Milei in a category all of his own: “The left detests him and the Trumpian right embraces him, but he truly belongs to neither group. He has shown that the continual expansion of the state is not inevitable. And he is a principled rebuke to opportunistic populism, of the sort practised by Donald Trump. Mr Milei believes in free trade and free markets, not protectionism; fiscal discipline, not reckless borrowing; and, instead of spinning popular fantasies, brutal public truth-telling.”
El País published an excerpt of Victoria de Masi’s new book on Milei’s sister, Karina, dubbed “the Boss” by Argentina’s president.
Regional Relations
Former Uruguayan President José Mujica used colorful language to criticize former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s ongoing role in politics. (AFP, AFP)
He also said the Ortega government in Nicaragua is “monstruous” and criticized how it has strayed from the original Sandinista idealism. (AFP, AFP)
Nicaragua
Hundreds of Nicaraguan dissidents have been stripped of their citizenship, and are now stateless exiles, leaving them in a difficult legal limbo, reports the Associated Press.
Cuba
Cuba asked state and private businesses to generate more of their own electricity from renewable resources and to limit their use of air conditioning, as the country navigates a crushing energy crisis, reports Reuters.
Haiti
Haitian authorities released a senior police precinct chief who was jailed in relation to a murder that occurred while he was leading U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s motorcade in Port-au-Prince, reports the Miami Herald.
Brazil
“Evidence linking Brazil’s biggest organized crime network and Portuguese football highlights how sports can serve as a vehicle for illicit activities, including money laundering,” reports InSight Crime.
Critter Corner
A Mexican pod of orcas, led by Moctezuma, are routinely attacking whale sharks — New York Times