**Primary Article**
Claudia Sheinbaum, the President, confirmed on October 15, 2024, that the National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information, and Personal Data Protection (INAI), along with other autonomous bodies, will be dissolved. However, she did not specify when this will occur. Speaking from the Treasury Hall of the National Palace, Sheinbaum clarified that the dissolution of the INAI, as part of a constitutional reform of autonomous bodies, does not herald an end to government transparency. On the contrary, she assured that the government will become stricter in ensuring transparency.
She also revealed plans to transform the current Ministry of Public Administration into the Ministry of Anti-corruption and Good Governance to enhance the fight against corruption. Raquel Buenrostro Sánchez, the current head of the Ministry of Public Administration, is expected to provide further details about these changes during an upcoming press conference.
On October 14, 2024, INAI’s president, Adrián Alcalá Méndez, stated that he would propose a 30% budget reduction during a meeting with Rosa Icela Rodríguez Velázquez, head of the Ministry of the Interior. This reduction, amounting to about 300 million pesos, aims to prevent the institute’s dissolution. Alcalá emphasized that the adjustment would maintain a balance between austerity and functionality, reinforcing the institute’s capacity to serve Mexico.
Ricardo Monreal Ávila, the coordinator of Morena’s parliamentary group, suggested that the constitutional reforms to dissolve at least seven autonomous entities, including the INAI, could be approved by December 2024. He highlighted that seven out of eighteen proposed reforms had already been approved earlier in the year, with further discussions planned later in October.
Among the entities slated for dissolution are the Federal Economic Competition Commission, the Federal Telecommunications Institute, and the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy, among others. The initiative is moving forward with the backing of Morena and allied political parties.
**Secondary Article**
In a related development, concerns have been raised regarding the potential impact on accountability and transparency should these autonomous bodies be dissolved. Critics argue that independent oversight is crucial for maintaining checks and balances within government institutions. There is also skepticism over how the reformed Ministry of Anti-corruption and Good Governance will operate without the expertise and independence previously embodied by these autonomous organizations.
Meanwhile, the public and various civil society organizations continue to voice their apprehensions about the concentration of power. They fear that this move might compromise the democratic frameworks that ensure public access to governmental operations and decisions. These discussions are part of a broader debate on how best to streamline governance without sacrificing transparency and accountability, a challenge that the Mexican political landscape must navigate in the coming months.