MEXICO, Sept 10 (EFE).- Mexico's president elect, Enrique Peña Nieto, presented to senators from the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) an initiative to "strengthen" transparency and accountability in Mexico today.

The law project, the first one Peña Nieto presents, is looking to "grant full constitutional autonomy to the Federal Institute of Access to Information (IFAI in Spanish)," and to extend the jurisdiction of the Legislative and Judicial branches to Mexico's states and municipalities.

The initiative proposes to increase the IFAI advisors from five to seven to face this institution's new tasks; the institute has turned Mexico into an international reference in matters of transparency since it was created in 2002 during Vicente Fox's term of office.

In a message addressed to the press at a hotel in the Mexican capital, Peña Nieto said that the 10-article constitutional reform that proposes for the State institutions to act "with more transparency" and "total commitment to accountability."

He emphasized the need for this reform since corruption is "one of the topics that without a doubt hurts and lacerates the relationship between the government and the citizens."

The coordinator of Peña's Government Transition, Luis Videgaray, detailed that the goal of this initiative is to "broaden the transparency reach" in all powers, autonomous organizations and "especially in the field of competence in states and municipalities."

With the reform, the IFAI "would have the faculty to promote actions of unconstitutionality against international laws or treaties that wound the right to access public information or data protection," he explained.

In addition, an "extraordinary resource" would be created by authorizing the Supreme Court to "establishing as confidential or reserved information regarding national security" requested.

Also attending the presentation of the next Mexican president's first law initiative was the PRI's coordinator at the Senate, Emilio Gamboa, who emphasized the need for this initiative since "Mexico demands more transparency and accountability."

Peña Nieto won the presidential elections with over 19 million votes against the 16 million the leftwing candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador got; the latter has not accepted the election's result.

The Left-wing candidate asked for an election annulment citing an alleged massive vote purchase by the PRI and media partiality towards Peña Nieto; López Obrador's arguments were rejected by the Electoral Court.

Peña Nieto is to take over the presidency next December 01 in a ceremony that will signal the PRI's return to power after two terms in the hands of the National Action Party (PAN).

Editorial@sandiegored.com

Original Text : EFE Agency

Translation: Karen.balderas@sandiegored.com