Armando Contreras Castillodeputy of Morena, revealed a new reform initiative to the Organic Law of the UNAM which proposes that the rector be elected by direct and open vote of the student community.
In his personal “project decree by which various provisions of the Organic Law of the National Autonomous University of Mexico are reformed in terms of democratic election of its Rectory”, the legislator proposes that the appointment of the rector It is not just a faculty of the Governing Board.
The initiative states that the election of the person who holds the position must be “through direct election and universal, free, secret, personal and non-transferable suffrage.”
What are the proposed changes?
It suggests repealing article 6, which states that “it will be the responsibility of the Governing Board to appoint the rector, know of his resignation and remove it for serious causewhich the Board will appreciate at its discretion”.
The same current article establishes that “for the exercise of the faculties that this section grants, the Board will explore in the manner it deems prudent the opinion of university students”.
Instead, it establishes in article 9 the following wording:
The person in charge of the Rectory will be chosen by the university community through direct election and universal, free, secret, personal and non-transferable suffrage, in accordance with the procedures established for this purpose by the University Council, that must guarantee the principle of gender parity.
Since the last legislature, another deputy from Morena also tried this reform, but He withdrew it on the recommendation of his bench and because of the protests of the UNAM authorities.
In February 2020, also in a personal capacity, the deputy Miguel Ángel Jáuregui Montes de Oca presented a proposal for reforms to the Organic Law, this to modify the method of designation of the rector, the directors of faculties, institutes, centers of investigation and change the powers of the Governing Board.
This second proposal by Deputy Armando Contreras was announced after President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said from the National Palace, in his morning conference, that “Of course I can talk about UNAM and I can talk about any university!”.
The president questioned that the former director of the Legal Research Institute, Peter Salazarand the current director, Monica González ControThey are ITAM graduates.
“Where were the students of (Jorge) Carpizo? It is that this indicates a lot. I do it to draw attention to how a reform of the Judiciary has to be carried out, but it is also about reforming our alma mater, ”he said.
