“I do not wake up or sleep in no”

Senator Manuel Añorve makes his debut these days as coordinator of the PRI bench, the third force in the Upper House, but if you add the years of political experience of its 13 members, it could well accumulate more than a century.

It is also a group that does not always vote one way. A fact that the 65-year-old from Guerrero anticipates that he does not have to change. “It would be silly to want to send a vertical line like in the old days,” he says.

After a process of relief that became harsh, he points out that he has begun rapprochements with four legislators who at that time did not give him their endorsement.

In interview with The reason, Añorve Baños expands when he talks about the leadership of the national leader of the PRI: “If you are going to ask me about Alejandro Moreno, I am going to tell you: he is my friend. I cannot conceive of a coordination that does not have communication with the president of the party”.

In addition, the former local and federal deputy and former municipal president of Acapulco, is ready to undertake agreements and negotiations. “If I describe myself as an opponent, there is a phrase that does not fail: ‘I do not wake up in no, nor do I sleep in no,'” he maintains.

In what state do you receive the fraction?

I have been vice coordinator in two legislatures, with my friend Beatriz Paredes and with my friend Manlio Fabio Beltrones. Here I practically have the construction, from the vice coordination, of what is the containment block in the Senate. Where, let’s say it colloquially, we inaugurated with everything that was achieved unanimously with the National Guard. I am a coordinator who is very clear that we must seek consensus within the parliamentary group and outside. Yes, there was a coordination relay, by majority, and I think this is already well noted, in terms of how the process was. But the most important thing is that I do not come here with a revengeful or offensive spirit. On the contrary, I am a politician.

Has the replacement issue passed?

It won’t stay for me. They are all important on the PRI bench. I start to make contact with everyone. I will speak with Senator Miguel Osorio Chong, I have greeted Claudia Ruiz Massieu, I have had contact with Nuvia Mayorga, I spoke with Eruviel Ávila. With the four who left at the time of the vote. In that one, nine out of 13 voted in my favor, but that is a story that is behind us. The important thing is to look forward, respect the personality of each person, because this is an interesting bench. We are not always unanimously voting one way. We have the freedom to vote on what we think and what we want. And this is what is enriching and I am going to continue to respect it, it does not have to change. It would be silly to send a vertical line like in the old days. If the president of the party does not do it, I am going to continue in that continuity. I am inviting everyone to dialogue and to continue working as we have done in these four and a half years, and I will respect the personal decisions that each person makes. I hope they continue to decide to be in this great parliamentary group. And I emphasize: I have a lot of respect for Senator Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong. Of that there is not the slightest doubt.

What do you feel about what the Senate and its factions are today?

There is very good communication. This does not mean that those of us who are obviously in opposition to the bench that represents the government and its allies, hand out a blank check. But there is good communication with Ricardo Monreal, Manuel Velasco, Sasil de León, Geovanna Bañuelos, not to mention with Clemente Castañeda, with Miguel Mancera, with Julen Rementería, with Germán Martínez. I have that facility not only to make friends, but to make agreements. Nor does it mean that I can with everyone, but I promise I try.

Is the division in the Morena bench an obstacle to the agreements?

What I perceive is that there is an internal struggle, but I trust in the maturity of the senators of the majority group, so that they reach agreements. I also trust Ricardo Monreal, who is a man seasoned in the fight and parliamentary agreements and we have managed, by consensus, to get many opinions, with long but specific debates, and in the end we have given legislative products to the country.

With you, which will prevail more: the PRIMor or the containment bloc?

Reason will not prevail. The negotiation will prevail, the agreements for Mexico. There are urban legends or nicknames that are made in public opinion that I do not share. In my case: I voted against Plan B, against the revocation of the mandate and popular consultation when the President wanted to appear on the ballot in 2021 and break the democratic balance of this country, and then I voted for that to be done later of the election, because they are instruments of the citizens, not of the President in turn. If I describe myself as an opponent, there is a phrase that does not fail: “I do not wake up in no or sleep in no”, and I learned that when we were the majority party. I met some characters who woke up in no and slept in no, and it was no to everything. Of course, here it is not entering into a debate of no, it is a debate of saying let’s see how, how yes, as far as possible, legislatively speaking.

So there will be no anticipated no to the points that the 4T promotes in the Senate…

It depends on the origin. There are issues that are very flawed, such as the Electoral Reform initiative to make the INE disappear. That you don’t even have a way to start negotiating something, that’s a resounding no. Or Plan B, which wanted to move the start of the electoral process from September to November so that the so-called corcholatas could continue to be promoted. There is no way to negotiate, of origin it is not. There are other issues, such as Inai, where the origin is to see what we can build.

Is the PRIMor nickname something that could weigh on you when making agreements?

It weighs absolutely nothing on me. I voted against the Energy Reform. And if you are going to ask me about Alejandro Moreno, I am going to tell you: he is my friend. I cannot conceive of a coordination that does not have communication with the president of the party because I, Manuel Añorve, who have been a legislator and candidate several times, whose door do you knock on? Who do you communicate with when you have a political aspiration? With the president of the party.

How do you see that leadership?

I lived through the process of Alejandro Moreno when, with great force, he said no to the Electricity Reform. There were many voices around that said ‘the PRIMor, Alejandro Moreno is going to vote in favor’. I saw how he tied his shoes, his pants, we went out to a press conference in the CEN of the PRI auditorium, and he said: ‘by national political agreement we are going to vote against.’ I did not hear those voices that criticized him when they threw the horse at him, as we say in Guerrero, and they insulted him, offended him, they leaked him and he endured firmly. And when we voted against the Electricity Reform, I listened to them less. At least one to defend it. And not because I need defense, but I think you have to be consistent. There is a former candidate for the Presidency, I say this with great respect, Ricardo Anaya, who for 5% of what happened to Alejandro Moreno went to live in the United States. And Alejandro Moreno endured. They accused him of having broken the Va por México coalition in the second half of last year, but he was a factor in the reconstruction of the electoral coalition, with the support of Marko Cortés and Jesús Zambrano. Today in the State of Mexico we have a coalition, also in Coahuila. And there we are, because the three parties need each other to be competitive and to be able to recover spaces that we lost on 18 and 21, and with the obligation to add civil society and to continue knocking on the door of MC, to make a great opposition bloc in the 2024 election.