Puebla Congress Approves Dissolution of Three Municipal Governments
This Saturday, the Congress of the State of Puebla approved the dissolution of the municipal governments of Acatlán de Osorio, Esperanza and Tepeyahualco, whose administrations had been destabilized by resignations, arrests and allegations involving municipal authorities.
During an extraordinary session, the state legislature revoked the mandates of the members of the three municipal councils and approved the creation of Municipal Councils (Concejos Municipales) that will take over administration and complete the constitutional 2024–2027 term.
With these decisions, Puebla now has eight municipalities governed through this arrangement:
- Chalchicomula de Sesma (Ciudad Serdán)
- Tlachichuca
- San Nicolás Buenos Aires
- Ahuazotepec
- Cuautempan
- Acatlán de Osorio
- Esperanza
- Tepeyahualco
Acatlán de Osorio
In Acatlán de Osorio, Congress approved the revocation of the Municipal Council, the dissolution of the municipality’s government and the creation of a new provisional administration with 36 votes in favor, one against and one abstention.
Ciro Gavilán Domínguez was appointed president of the Municipal Council, with Nicte Angélica Tecpanecatl Cuesta as his alternate. María Leonor Apolonia Popócatl Gutiérrez will serve as municipal trustee, with América Martínez Guzmán as her alternate.
The political crisis in Acatlán intensified following the departure of Mayor Guadalupe Bárcenas, amid allegations and scandals that affected her administration and caused a fracture within the municipal government.
The situation ultimately led to congressional intervention after authorities determined that the municipality could no longer guarantee the continuity of its government under the existing conditions.
Tepeyahualco
In Tepeyahualco, lawmakers also approved the measure with 36 votes in favor, one against and one abstention, revoking the Municipal Council’s mandate and formally dissolving the municipal government.
Eduardo Vázquez Márquez was appointed president of the Municipal Council, with Alejandro Melchor Morales as his alternate. Carmen Teresa López Castillo will serve as municipal trustee, with Denisse Chávez Astudillo as her alternate.
The dissolution followed the arrest of Mayor Said de Jesús Godos Luna on September 4. He was detained by ministerial authorities over his alleged responsibility for abuse of authority, failure to fulfill a legal duty and bribery.
His arrest triggered a governance crisis that eventually led Congress to replace the municipal government with a Municipal Council.
Esperanza
In Esperanza, the measure was approved with 33 votes in favor, one against and three abstentions.
Legislators revoked the mandate of the mayor and the other members of the Municipal Council, declared the municipality’s government dissolved and appointed Raúl Pineda Raygoza as president of the Municipal Council.
Jesús Arrona Aguilar was appointed alternate president. María Ivette Huerta Velázquez will serve as municipal trustee, with María del Carmen González Sánchez as her alternate.
The crisis in Esperanza escalated following the so-called Operativo Enjambre, carried out on September 7 with 23 simultaneous searches.
The operation resulted in the arrest of nine people, including Mayor Isaac “N”, former Public Security Director Abigail “N”, and Manuel “N”, the brother of the then-mayor.
Authorities seized 35 firearms, including two Barrett rifles, along with 52 magazines, 11 vehicles, four of them armored and another equipped with homemade armor and a turret. Tactical equipment, a drone and a signal jammer were also seized.
The mayor’s arrest also affected the municipal police force. Following the operation, only three of approximately 20 officers reported for duty. As a result, the Puebla Secretariat of Public Security announced that it would take over security operations in Esperanza.
Three Municipal Governments Replaced
Within a matter of days, the political and judicial crises in Acatlán de Osorio, Tepeyahualco and Esperanza resulted in the dissolution of their respective municipal governments.
The Municipal Councils appointed by Congress will now be responsible for maintaining government operations and political stability in the three municipalities and will remain in charge until the constitutional term ends in 2027.
Source: unotv
