CNC split from PRI? Unlikely yet threats fly as Mexican budget is passed

The Mexican Chamber of Deputies finally approved next year's federal budget, which is its prerogative. An apparent last-minute cut of more than 4 billion pesos in transfers to the countryside caused quite a stir, with PRI deputy Cruz López Aguilar resigning from the chamber's agricultural commission. López Aguilar, notably, is the leader of the Confederacion Nacional Campesina, a long-time pillar of PRI support. According to the CNC,  four of out five campesinos still suffer from simply having enough access to food, as the price they can fetch for their products is significantly lower than agricultural imports.

Reportedly, the peasant sector had been promised 33.4 billion pesos, a sum that changed to 29 billion pesos, though some legislators such as PAN's Gabriela Cuevas denied that the first sum had ever been promised.

In any case, CNC still has a massive presence among PRI's deputies; some sources put the figure as high as 85 deputies being affiliated with this organization. Significantly, Cruz López Aguilar actually threatened to leave the PRI altogether. While I have a hard time seeing he will follow through on his threat, it is clear it would be of enormous political importance if he did.