transl: General fiscal reform is not a priority: Monreal

El movement of national regeneration (Morena) will have a majority in the legislature and, with it, the possibility of approving the reforms promised in the campaign. However, it is not intended to reform the constitutional article 102, one of the requirements of the society so that the next attorney general is a “fleshly Prosecutor”.
Such reform “it isn’t priority”, said Ricardo Monreal, character close to the President elected Andrés López Manuel Obrador and whose name has been managed by the own ex-Chief of Government of the Federal District to coordinate the brunette in the Senate Caucus; Therefore, he said, the Attorney general shall be elected by the method currently laid down in the Constitution: the decision will be in charge of the Executive and the legislature, without involving civil society in the process.
The President-elect, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, reported Thursday on August 9 that agreed with President Enrique Peña Nieto that the selection process for the prosecutor general, anti-corruption and election will be completed before December 1, date of change of Government, so the next administration start already with these appointments.
Ricardo Monreal said in an interview with political Animal that the legislature will not act as “subordinate the Executive or as an extension of the Executive… will act in a true partnership of powers”, but the appointment who will lead to the Prosecutor General of the Republic, responsible for investigating federal crimes and cases of corruption of public officials, shall be in accordance with the regulations in force.
According to the Constitution, the Senate will integrate a list of “at least ten candidates”, approved by two-thirds of the legislators, and send it to the President. The incumbent President then will elect three candidates on the list, who must appear before the senators.  The shortlisting will be selected one, by vote of the plenary.
However, more than 300 civil society organizations grouped under the collective “prosecutors who serve” have warned that this selection method does not guarantee that there is an independent Prosecutor. For this reason, demand reform law so that the first list of candidates be chosen by a Commission of designations.
The Commission says the proposal, would be integrated in honorary form by nine citizens with academic or professional reputation in law enforcement, rights human, combat corruption and public policies in the field of security and justice; they would be elected by two-thirds of the Senate, in a public and open way.
In addition, civil society poses to make the final vote to elect the Prosecutor in “public hearing”. Another important aspect is that, unlike the current requirements for applicants, which only include Mexican, being largest in 35 years, with a degree in law from 10 years back and not have criminal record for intentional crimes, organizations pose that candidate, served as a popular choice, it is not nor has had leadership positions in political parties at least in the 4 years prior to their appointment.
On Thursday, Lopez Obrador said asked President Enrique Peña Nieto that the list is the list of names that had been proposed during the campaign: Juan Luis González Alcantara-Carranca, Eva Verónica D´Gyves and Bernardo Bátiz.
In addition, Lopez Obrador outlined the 12 legislative priorities since last July 11, and in them is not the reform of the method of election of the Attorney general and will not be a priority for the legislature, said Monreal.
“We do not have it within the 12 priorities, to be frank, but it is not a subject that we shirk. You can be on the legislative agenda of some other political parties, and we will obviously discuss it if it arises.”
-Why are not among the priorities, if the fight against corruption is one of the pillars of the next administration?
-Going to ensure is that the Prosecutor is autonomous, we do not have a reservation in that. We don’t want to be related to either the Government, or the Executive, the legislature or to the Judicial. We want to make it an autonomous body with full prestige and independence. That’s our main goal, comes from the Academy, the practice of litigation, civil society doesn’t matter to us. What matters to us is to ensure integrity, autonomy, independence, prestige.
– And that would be not necessarily (article 102) reform?
-Not necessarily. We can get a good attorney general, anti-corruption and electoral.
-A critique (of the collective public prosecutor which serve) is that the method of choice always end up being partisan assessments; It is something that you (Morena) reported always.
-It is what we in the exercise of the function we want to avoid, and if we have to modify legislation are going to do.
The fight against corruption the President-elect, Obrador Andrés Manuel López, has insisted that the fight against corruption will be a priority in his Government. Among the reform proposals is that the President and officials can be tried for violations of electoral freedoms and for corruption, during the exercise of their functions, as well as suspend privileges.
“It will touch us legislators develop standard and we are going to be very scrupulous,” said Monreal, therefore, such changes must be approved at the first session, which starts on September 1.
On the other hand, the legislative branch, he said, unlock the national anti-corruption system because currently “is suspended, not is has given way to the judges. Not all the institutional scaffolding is built and we have an obligation to review it.”
That said, asserting the majority of Morena also in state congresses, will they make the appointments that are missing to form the local anti-corruption systems.
“What want is that in them States not is people akin to them Governors”, and already not there will be pretext for not naming them because “now itself there will be a real balance of powers, an authentic surveillance in them States in what us corresponds, without affect the federalism” , said Monreal.

Original source in Spanish