09 March 2011

Lobbyists register for the first time

450 have registered with the Chamber of Deputies in what is considered the first attempt to control lobbying practices in Mexico

By BRONSON PETTITT

Mexico Weekly / March 9, 2011

So far 450 lobbyists have registered with the Chamber of Deputies in what is considered the first attempt to control lobbying practices in Mexico, El Universal reported Wednesday.

Grupo Estrategia Política, a lobbying and political consulting firm, has requested registration for 17 lobbyists, followed by Philip Morris Mexico that has so far requested eight registrations. Javier Medina, the head lobbyist for Grupo Salinas (owner of the television network TV Azteca and the cell phone provider Iusacell) has also requested his registration. Medina also heads the National Association of Professional Lobbyists (Procab).

Other firms that have requested registrations for their lobbyists include the Mexican Banking Association, and the political lobbying and consulting firms Stratta Consulting, Safie Consultores and Dynamis Consultores.

The first phase of the two-month registration period ended Monday.

Influencing Lawmakers' Decisions

The registration seeks to control and identify who is attempting to influence lawmakers. Lobbyists' full names, addresses, activities and the committees or legislative blocs with whom they meet will be reported on the Chamber of Deputies' website.

When the PRI lost control of the Chamber of Deputies in 1997 it ushered a new era in which lobbyists became more influential in lawmakers' decisions, El Universal reported.

This measure comes five years after the so-called “Televisa Law,” which was approved after just minutes of debate in Congress. The controversial law secured the power and influence of Mexico's TV duopoly, consisting of Televisa and TV Azteca, by declaring television networks a public good and therefore freeing them from paying for access to the digital frequency spectrum.

Much of the law was struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

After the Superme Court's ruling, some lawmakers admitted Televisa had harassed them into passing the law, threatening them with a full media-attack if they refused.

After leaving public office, the 1994-presidential hopeful and former PAN Sen. Diego Fernández de Cevallos spent most of his time lobbying for big transnational firms (mostly fighting off hefty tax bills). Fernández de Cevallos was recently released after being kidnapped and held for ransom for seven months.

In 2000, for instance, Fernández de Cevallos' legal firm helped Jugos del Valle (a juice-drink company) recoup 1.8 billion pesos ($190.47 million) in value-added tax (IVA) payments.

PAN Deputy Dolores del Río Sánchez, who heads the Chamber of Deputies Governing Body and is in charge of overseeing the registration of lobbyists process, said information on lobbyists and firms will be soon published online, El Universal reported.


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