Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Photo: Google

By THE PULSE NEWS MEXICO STAFF

After his much-touted electricity reform bill — which would have prioritized state-run carbon-based energy sources over cleaner alternatives from private companies — was defeated in a historic vote at the Chamber of Deputies on Sunday, April 17, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) called all those legislators who voted against it “traitors to the nation.”

“Yesterday an act of treason against Mexico was committed,” he said during his daily press conference at the National Palace on the morning of Monday, April 18.

“These deputies (who voted against the bill) backed the looters (referring to foreign corporations) … They sold out the nation.”

López Obrador went on to say that he considered the failure of the bill — which resulted from a solid consolidation of opposition deputies who managed to block his leftist National Regeneration Movement (Morena) party from obtaining the two-thirds majority needed to rewrite the Mexican Constitution, which was required to pass his initiative — “an act of betrayal of Mexico committed by a group of legislators who, instead of defending the interests of the people, became outspoken defenders of foreign companies that are dedicated to prospering and stealing.”

“These deputies supported the looters, to put it clearly,” he said.

AMLO likewise claimed that, had the bill passed, it would not have violated the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), as many outside observers had insisted, including high-ranking U.S. and Canadian officials.

He said that international corporations are “out to exploit Mexico’s oil and electricity industry.”

Asked if he considered what happened in the Chamber of Deputies a defeat, López Obrador said that it was “a victory for democracy” because it showed that “there is no presidential authoritarian or corruption in Mexico.”