Political Reform Dead on Arrival - or barely on life support

While it was not exactly a shocker that the Chamber of Deputies would end the current legislative session without even touching the Political Reform  recently approved in the Senate, it was all the more disappointing. This essentially ensures that even if passed at a later date - the chamber will have its four-month summer break - it will be too late for it to be implemented in time for the 2012 election.

PAN points the finger, and rightly so it appears, at Enrique Peña Nieto, whom it accuses of having blocked the reform, and demands a new extraordinary session now that the current official session is over. It's hard to believe that coming to pass.

It is a sad episode that reflects more broadly on what has been a remarkably unproductive legislative session, or indeed legislature in general. Milenio revealed recently that Calderón has achieved an even lower approval rate of his legislative initiatives than Fox - 66 percent vs. 75 percent. From Dec. 2000-April 2005, 105/139 of Fox' proposals were approved; from Dec. 2006-today, 72 out of 109. A direct comparison is admittedly tricky as it says nothing of the actual content or magnitude of the legislation passed, but it is nonetheless an interesting statistic - especially if we keep in mind that Calderón at first enjoyed PAN majorities in both houses.