Towards the end of last week, the ruling Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM)-majority Chamber of Deputies could not reach an agreement that would allow the revised Penal Code to pass. As a result, headlines the next day were that the legislative initiative was dead in the water and would have to wait for a new legislature session before being re-introduced. However, very late on Friday, 17 December 2021, it was revealed that “procedural errors” had taken place and the legislation had improperly been discarded until next year.
Spokespeople for the Chamber of Deputies are now saying that there was a confusion as to the majority needed to approve a report by the joint commission that was studying the bill after adjustments were made. And that the bill had not been formally presented to the floor.
So, if the coordinating committee of the Chamber of Deputies decides to place the proposal again on the agenda, the new Penal Code could be up for a vote during the session now called for Monday, 20 December 2021. The Chamber of Deputies had scheduled to end work sessions on 17 December. The Chamber of Deputies has posted on its Facebook pages that the deputies are off for Christmas vacation from 20 December to 5 January 2022.
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Diario Libre
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El Nacional
20 December 2021