Anti-Corruption Bill Stalls in Congess Amid Silence from Mexican President Eric Martin - Bloomberg
go to original April 28, 2016

Mexico’s Battle Against Corruption (Woodrow Wilson Center)

One year ago Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, reeling from conflict of interest allegations over his family’s purchase of luxury homes, signed an anti-graft law before a packed audience at Mexico’s national palace and swore a "firm commitment" to fight corruption. A year later and the secondary bills to implement the measure are languishing in congress.

After successfully championing energy and education overhauls earlier in his term, Pena Nieto has fallen silent in recent weeks amid accusations his own party in Congress is trying to water down the corruption bills.

“There’s resistance, without a doubt,” said Edna Jaime, who heads Mexico Evalua, an organization that presented some of the legislative initiatives. “There’s no presidential leadership pushing this reform.”

With the end of the legislative session this week, the bill may miss a deadline set out in its original agenda, unless lawmakers go into special sessions. Delays to the process has angered citizens’ groups that gathered more than half a million signatures allowing them to bring their own proposals to Congress for the first time in Mexico.

Pena Nieto’s approval has plunged since the scandals rocked his administration, hitting as low as 30 percent in one recent poll.

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