Farewell Federal District
After many years of discussion, the Federal District has ceased to exist. This does not mean that Mexico City has disappeared, but rather, a change in the legal and political structure of the capital of Mexico has occurred. The Federal District (DF for its Spanish acronym) has now become Mexico City (CDMX for its Spanish acronym). This process, referred to as the Political Reform of the Federal District, has led to an amendment of the Mexican Constitution allowing for the inclusion of Mexico City as a state, adding to the existing 31 states that form the Mexican federal union. In the United States of America, where as a result of a land donation by the states of Maryland and Virginia in 1800 to create the capital of the country, D.C. was formed 13 years after the promulgation of the Constitution of 1787 in Philadelphia. In Mexico, the circumstances were different, as the federal powers were established in the political, historic, cultural, social and economic center of Mexico—Mexico City. Not only is Mexico City the center of federal power, it is also the heart of Mexico. This year, a constitutional convention will be held, tasked with preparing the Political Constitution of Mexico City. The constitutional convention will be comprised as follows: an election by proportional representation will be held whereby 60 members will be elected; the Mexican House of Representatives and the Mexican Senate will each appoint 14 members. The President will appoint six members and the Chief Executive of Mexico City will appoint an additional six for a total of 100 members of the Constitutional Convention. The convention must complete the constitution by January 17, 2017. The general population appears to be skeptical of this change. At present, the democratic benefit of a Constitution for the capital of the country is not quite clear to everyone. Citizens are more concerned about other less academic and philosophical issues such as alleviating traffic, plus an array of other problems that are prevalent in big cities such as: public transport services, safety, water supply, efficient garbage collection, environmental cleanliness and sustainability, among other issues. Nevertheless, the new Constitution will serve other purposes to create new rights and guaranties for the people of Mexico City.
