National Regeneration Movement Senator Olga Sánchez Cordero. Photo: Google

By KELIN DILLON

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, the Mexican Senate passed Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s controversial initiative to defund 13 of the Judicial Branch of the Federation’s (PJF) 14 trusts.

The initiative, which previously passed through Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies on Oct. 17, was approved with 67 votes in favor from the in-power National Regeneration Movement (Morena) and its allies, and 48 votes against the extinction of the 15.4 billion pesos worth of trusts following an eight-hour debate.

However, a handful of Morena senators took the opportunity to vote against their party’s reform, citing the initiative as a violation of the Mexican Constitution and the labor rights of PJF workers.

“I come to defend above all the constitution, the law, justice, the truth; I am a member of Morena and Morena also has to respect the Constitution,” said Morena Senator Alejandro Rojas Díaz Durán. “With the intended extinguishing of these trusts, the constitution is being violated.”

Former Supreme Court Justice of the Nation (SCJN) minister and current Morena Senator Olga Sánchez Cordero also criticized the initiative and asked her fellow senators to reconsider the elimination of some of the trusts on the chopping block.

“The possibility that two powers of the union coalesce to intervene directly in the internal administration of a third power is not a republican exercise,” said Sánchez. “Neither is the total elimination of trusts, since some contain resources from contributions from workers, which are part of their general working conditions.”

“By extinguishing them we would be validating the provision of money that was not provided solely by the federal budget, but contains resources contributed by public servants,” added Sánchez.

Following the results of the vote, PJF workers announced the extension of their ongoing strike until Sunday, Oct. 29.