During the Seventh Ordinary Session of the 67th Legislature, the Plenary Session of the Ignacio de la Llave State of Veracruz approved the Draft Decree amending Article 5 of the Political Constitution of the State of Veracruz, an initiative submitted by Governor Rocío Nahle García, to guarantee the constitutional rights of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples and communities.
Amid applause from the deputies present in the session room, they celebrated the approval of this resolution, which received 45 votes in favor, zero abstentions, and zero votes against.
With this change, the right to self-determination of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples as subjects of rights is recognized in Veracruz.
What does the reform mean for Indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples?
The reforms to the local Constitution not only strengthen the democratic fabric of the State, but also honor diversity and promote more just and inclusive development in harmony with nature, building a more just, plural, and truly pluricultural entity, said Representative Dulce María Hernández Tepole, of the Morena parliamentary group.
It seeks to contribute to the economic development of companies through the organization of fairs and platforms that promote business.
Representative Felipe Pineda Barradas, secretary of the Board of Directors of the State Congress, when presenting the initiative, recalled that on January 8 of this year, the initiative was referred to the Permanent United Committees on Justice and Constitutional Affairs and on Indigenous and Afro-Descendant Communities Affairs for study and opinion, which was issued on June 6 of this year.
He emphasized that the Initiative with Draft Decree amending Article 5 of the Political Constitution of the State of Veracruz Ignacio de la Llave was submitted to the Legislature by the Governor of Veracruz, Norma Rocío Nahle García.
He stated that the Political Coordination Board formulated the following considerations. First, that the Fifth Transitory Article of the decree amending, adding to, and repealing various provisions of Article 2 of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States regarding Indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples and communities, published on September 30, 2024, in the Official Gazette of the Federation, orders the authorities of all three levels of government, within 180 calendar days from its entry into force, to make the necessary regulatory adjustments to guarantee the constitutional rights of Afro-Mexican indigenous peoples and communities.
Positions in Favor of Constitutional Reform
In presenting his position, Representative Urbano Bautista Martínez, of the Legislative Group of the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico (PVEM), acknowledged this action and expressed his support for the ruling, saying it represents a positive change and favors multiculturalism.
In the Seventh Ordinary Session of the State Congress, he stated that despite the abandonment, discrimination, and dispossession against the Nahuatl, Popoluca, Totonac, Zapotec, Mazatec, Mixtec, Chinantec, Otomi, and other languages of our indigenous peoples, in the past, there is a better present and future for these communities.
“Veracruz is a living land, rich in history, culture, and ancestral wisdom, but above all, a land of good men and women. That human and cultural wealth has not been reciprocated with the legal recognition we deserve. Because the Veracruz Constitution did not recognize Indigenous peoples as subjects of public law, with the capacity to decide on their own affairs, their territories, their forms of organization, and their integral development.”
He added: “But today things are changing, and for the better. Because they will be granted constitutional recognition as subjects of law, which is not a favor; it is a historical debt they are paying to those who are the deepest roots of who we are. It is a fundamental step toward guaranteeing collective rights, autonomy, self-determination, access to land, respect for their language, their own institutions, and their normative systems.”
Also participating were Representative Mirian García Guzmán of Morena; Carlos Marcelo Ruiz of the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico; and Dulce María Hernández Tepole of Morena.
They acknowledged that the right to self-determination is now recognized in Veracruz. “Including Indigenous peoples as subjects of law and Afro-Mexican peoples in our local Constitution not only strengthens the democratic fabric of the State, it also honors the diversity that defines us and promotes more just and inclusive development in harmony with nature.”
This action is building a more just, more plural, and truly pluricultural Veracruz.
Source: oem
