Every day, President Claudia Sheinbaum gives a morning presidential press conference and Mexico Solidarity Media posts English language summaries. Previous press conference summaries are available here.

Condolences for the passing of Pope Francis

President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her sorrow over the passing of Pope Francis and sent a message of solidarity to all Catholics in Mexico, as well as to those who are not Catholics. She emphasized that the Pope was a humanist, a man who was always close to the most humble and the poor.

Who’s who in prices? – PROFECO

Iván Escalante, head of the Federal Consumer Protection Agency (PROFECO), reported that, as of April 15, an estimated 92% of the country’s gas stations have joined the national strategy to keep the price of gasoline below 24 pesos (US$1.22) per liter. Currently, the average price of regular gasoline is 23.65 pesos (US$1.20) per liter.

Digital reform to eliminate red tape and corruption

José Merino, head of the Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency, announced today, Monday, April 21, the new Law to Eliminate Bureaucratic Red Tape and Corruption will be presented to Congress. Among its goals is the creation of a single national catalog of paperwork procedures, which will reduce processes, requirements and response times by 50%. In addition, it is expected that 80% of the paperwork procedures can be carried out online, and that digital solutions will be developed by public servants, thus promoting technological sovereignty.

Key dates for the National Digital Investment Window

The dates for the implementation of the National Digital Investment Window have been moved forward:

  • June 15: All paperwork procedures to incorporate a company will be available online.
  • August 25: Construction and operation paperwork will be simplified and standardized in all states and municipalities.
  • November 30: All red tape, at all stages and before all authorities, will be centralized in a single window.

Legislative reforms in the pipeline

The President announced that this week she will send the following reform bills to Congress:

  • National Law to Decrease Bureaucratic Red Tape and Corruption
  • Reform to the Federal Telecommunications Law
  • Antitrust Commission Competition Law

Sheinbaum calls for a rethinking of immunity: “With a people so aware, it must be publicly debated”

The President proposed opening a national debate on the constitutionally enshrined immunity that protects certain public officials. She pointed out that, given an increasingly conscious and active population, it is necessary to publicly discuss the risks and the different positions. Although Sheinbaum acknowledged that there are legislators who defend the idea of maintaining parliamentary immunity, she openly expressed his disagreement with this privilege.

Diplomatic relations with Ecuador

The President read a communiqué from the Ministry of Foreign Relations in which it categorically rejects the repeated creation of narratives -both in official statements and in leaked documents- that point to Mexico as the source of alleged criminal acts to be perpetrated in Ecuador.

Rejection of discriminatory messages in Mexican media

Sheinbaum expressed her disagreement with the broadcasting of U.S. government spots on Mexican open television. She pointed out that these ads contain discriminatory messages that undermine human dignity and may encourage social rejection. For this reason, she urged that such advertising be withdrawn. In addition, a bill was announced that would prohibit foreign entities from paying for the broadcasting of these types of messages in the national media.

Social programs are for all

The President reiterated that social programs are enshrined in the Constitution and do not depend on any senator or political party. They are universal and must be applied without any underlying personal or political promotion being involved.