Background on the Situation
In a significant move, the Mexican Chamber of Deputies, led by Morena and its allies, approved the 2023 Public Account despite approximately $52 billion (52,000 million pesos) needing clarification. This decision comes during the fifth year of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration.
Key Financial Details
The approved decreto relating to the Federal Public Treasury Account for the 2023 fiscal year indicates that over 8 trillion pesos were spent, marking a real increase of 2.9% compared to the previous year.
Income for this period reached 7 trillion pesos, an increase of 436.5 million pesos compared to the previous year’s revenue.
The debt-to-GDP ratio for the federal public sector decreased from 47.9% in 2016 to 47.5% in 2023, showing a downward trend.
However, authorized net internal and external debt amounted to 1 trillion pesos, with an exercised amount of 1.245 trillion pesos. This difference reflects the financing obtained (6.699 trillion pesos) minus amortizations (5.454 trillion pesos), representing a 2.9% reduction, or 37.868 billion pesos, compared to the authorized amount.
Unresolved Irregularities
The 2023 Public Account also highlights irregularities worth over 53.741 billion pesos, with 1.762 billion pesos recovered through recoveries. This leaves approximately 51.979 billion pesos still pending clarification.
- 40.801 billion pesos correspond to federalized expenditures by states, municipalities, and local public entities, accounting for 78.5% of the total.
- 7.215 billion pesos are linked to the Economic Development group, representing 14%.
- 3.802 billion pesos are associated with Social Development, constituting 7%.
- 159.648 billion pesos are attributed to the Government group, making up 0.3% of detected irregularities.
Diputada Nancy Aracely Olguín (PAN) criticized the Auditor General’s Superior report, stating that its limited scope is a political decision rather than a technical error. This, she argues, results in opacity for citizens and impunity for corrupt individuals since only 1.329 billion pesos were recovered from the 51.979 billion pesos identified as problematic.
Diputado Eduardo Gaona Domínguez (MC) pointed out that states and municipalities exhibit more than 41 million pesos of opacity, while the Dos Bocas refinery has a 141 million pesos deficit that remains unexplained.
Diputado Reginaldo Sandoval (PT) defended the 2023 Public Account, asserting that López Obrador’s government prioritized social well-being without compromising fiscal discipline.
