The president plays her cards before Congress
Claudia Sheinbaum came out this Wednesday with an ace up her sleeve. In her morning conference, the president confirmed that she has a “plan B” ready in case her electoral reform proposal does not obtain the qualified majority she needs in the Chamber of Deputies.
The million dollar question, of course, is what this alternative strategy contains. But there Sheinbaum became hermetic.
“Yes, but it would be later,” he responded when asked directly about the plan.
The reporters insisted: would it be through secondary laws? The response was the same elegant evasion that all professional politicians master. “It would be later, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” A classic.
The narrative of ‘victory’ versus ‘defeat’
What’s interesting is how he framed all of this. He flatly rejected the idea that not approving his reform would be a “first defeat” for his government. On the contrary.
“For me it is a victory because I am presenting a proposal that the people asked me for,” he stated with that calmness that only comes from having an alternative support in your pocket.
Her position is clear: she complies by presenting the proposal. What happens next in Congress is the problem of the deputies and senators. “Whoever wants to approve it will be seen by the people, and whoever doesn’t, won’t.” It’s that simple, according to her.
Meanwhile, he presented his “decalogue for democracy” with ten points that sound good on paper: reduction of electoral spending, more oversight, voting abroad and even regulation of artificial intelligence in electoral processes.
But the real show is behind the curtain. That “plan B” that he mentioned without wanting to give details. Because in politics, what is not said often matters more than what is openly stated.
