The remarkable collapse of a rail overpass in Mexico City that eliminated a minimum of 24 individuals has actually dealt a blow to 2 of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s most senior assistants, who are commonly considered as the leading prospects to prosper him.
Monday night’s mishap has actually stimulated issue about the city’s facilities, in specific Linea 12, the city line where the collapse took place, and a flagship job of Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard when he was mayor from 2006 to 2012. Ebrard’s name is highly related to Linea 12.
Its issues have likewise end up being a headache for the city’s existing mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum, who has actually taken flak for other mishaps in the city system considering that she took workplace 2-1/2 years earlier.
Since opening in 2012, Linea 12 has actually had a struggling history, suffering interruptions and closures due to technical defects, along with claims of corruption over its building.
At a Tuesday early morning press conference with Lopez Obrador, press reporters gotten in touch with both Ebrard and Sheinbaum to discuss how the city line might have been so unsound, pointing out problems and cautions from the general public in advance of the catastrophe.
Both political leaders stated an extensive examination needs to be carried out, and advised individuals to wait for the findings.
“Whoever acts with integrity should fear nothing,” stated Ebrard, who has actually regularly declined the concept there was any misbehavior in the structure of Linea 12, which he inaugurated in late October 2012, a month prior to his term as mayor ended.
When asked if he was stressed that he would be blamed for the mishap, Ebrard kept in mind the finished job was just “definitively delivered” to the Mexico City federal government in July 2013, numerous months after he had actually left workplace.
Sheinbaum, in a later press conference, recommended a structural issue had most likely triggered the collapse, and accentuated the truth that Linea 12 had a “history.”
“The issue here is who is responsible,” she stated, when asked if the head of the city system ought to be fired.
Political experts regard Ebrard and Sheinbaum as the primary competitors to be successful Lopez Obrador when his term ends in late 2024, although neither has actually openly stated they will be prospects. Lopez Obrador is constitutionally disallowed from running.
A representative for Ebrard stated he was not thinking of 2024, which his top priority was that the victims be cared for and for an independent examination to be performed to develop what had actually activated the collapse.
Sheinbaum’s workplace decreased to comment.
Riding high in the surveys as he nears the half-way point of his term, Lopez Obrador has actually looked for to minimize financially rewarding agreements for industry, however likewise pushed assistants to tighten their belts, sustaining criticism that he has actually injured civil services.
Blame video game
Perhaps the most effective figure in the administration after the president, Ebrard is considered as a political moderate to the right of Lopez Obrador. Sheinbaum is viewed as closer to the president, who frequently looks for to highlight his bond with her.
The mishap took place a couple of weeks prior to across the country elections on June 6 that will identify who manages the lower home of Congress. Lopez Obrador’s National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) is greatly preferred to come out on top.
While it was uncertain if the mishap would have any significant electoral effect, it might wear down self-confidence in MORENA in the capital location, stated Federico Berrueto, director general of ballot company GCE.
Mexico City has actually been controlled by Lopez Obrador’s political equipment considering that he initially won election as mayor in 2000.
Problems will grow for the federal government if the city mishap ends up being viewed as an example of its incompetence, Berrueto stated.
A GCE telephone survey of 401 city homeowners after the mishap revealed that some 22% of them spontaneously stated the primary duty lay with Ebrard, while 4.5% selected Sheinbaum.
Another 17% blamed either the existing head of the city, the local government, or those in charge of upkeep. Just over one in 4 individuals blamed the business who constructed the line, while the federal government was singled out by 3.3%.
Ramon Pedraza, a 53-year-old who lives near the station where the track boiled down, slammed Ebrard, implicating him of cutting corners to end up Linea 12. Ebrard has actually constantly declined such allegations.
If the blame adheres to the federal government, it might spell problem for Ebrard and Sheinbaum, stated Fernando Belaunzaran, an opposition political leader from Mexico City and previous celebration associate of the 2.
“If the problem was structural, it hits Marcelo. If the problem was maintenance, it hits Sheinbaum,” he stated. “The struggle over succession will be about trying to demarcate the responsibility.”
