The parliamentary groups in Mexico City unanimously decided to extend the session of the Constitutional Points and Citizen Initiative Commission, which is responsible for dictating and, if approved, sending to the full Congress the initiative seeking to prohibit bullfighting. Prohibitionist deputy Jesus Sesma, from the Green Party, led a press conference where it was announced that the Commission meeting will take place on Friday, March 14, and the vote in the Chamber of Deputies is scheduled for Tuesday, March 18, if applicable.
Last week, the Judiciary of Mexico City reversed its decision to halt the process of dictating the initiative in the Commission and allowed Congress to submit it for a vote this Tuesday; however, the deadline set by law was today. Therefore, the parliamentary groups met and agreed to extend by 7 days the original 45 days that the Commission had to resolve the ruling and send it to the Chamber.
Legislators explained that the citizen initiative was presented on February 27 and that, due to the interventions of the Judiciary, those seven additional days were granted for the ruling and the vote in the Chamber. The proposal does not consider cockfighting due to its popular roots and the economic impact that its prohibition would have. It specifies that if the initiative is approved, the use of knives on the spurs of fighting birds will be waived in cockfighting.
During today’s session, both supporters and opponents of bullfighting gathered in front of the Chamber of Deputies, with some minor incidents involving opponents of the prohibition. It is important to mention that defenders of cockfighting have been excluded from this initiative due to its social and economic roots in the indigenous neighborhoods.
