Chamber of Deputies Board Remains in Place as Consensus Falters on New Leadership
Mexico City – The current board of directors of the Chamber of Deputies will remain in place after legislators failed to reach an agreement on a new leadership team during a preparatory session today. The decision, approved unanimously in five minutes by all benches, adheres to articles 17 and 27 of the Organic Law of the General Congress. Marcela Gutiérrez Luna will continue to act as the current board’s leader.
The inability to form a new board stems from disagreement between the MORENA party and the National Action Party (PAN) regarding potential candidates. While the PAN has submitted a list of potential leaders – including Kenya López Rabadán, Germán Martínez, Federico Döring, and Margarita Zavala – MORENA’s hardline faction views some of the proposed legislators as “very aggressive” towards their legislative initiatives. This impasse prevents securing the two-thirds vote required for approval.
Ricardo Monreal, MORENA coordinator in San Lázaro, stated that the agreement to maintain the current board provides “institutionality and governance” to the Chamber, adding, “We are in the processing of the election of the board of directors that by law, it is up to the PAN, and we will achieve it in the next few days.”
José Elías Lixa, coordinator of the PAN deputies, acknowledged the lack of current conditions to build a consensus, but expressed hope for a resolution. “It is evident that at this time there are no conditions to build a proposal of the board of directors that meets a vote of two thirds of the legislators,” he said, adding that the PAN’s proposal remains with the Political Coordination Board. He also voiced support for maintaining the current board to avoid disruption.
The selection of a new board is constitutionally mandated to rotate leadership among the different political parties represented in the Chamber. The current situation highlights the ongoing challenges of cross-party cooperation in Mexican politics and the importance of securing consensus for effective legislative function. Lixa expressed optimism that a solution can be reached “in the following hours.”
