Mexico spent over $12 million on its toned down Independence Day celebrations

Although the COVID-19 pandemic forced Mexico to scale down its Independence Day celebrations , the federal government commemorated the 210th anniversary of the Mexican Independence with an austere ceremony; however, it came with an MXN 12,710,440 price tag, more than the MXN 9.5 million the government allocated for the celebrations in 2019.

According to official documents, the López Obrador administration granted the contract to Yazmín Adriana Bolaños López , who previously organized several events for the current government,

On July 31, EL UNIVERSAL reported that Yazmín Adriana Bolaños López has received the majority of government contracts to organize events for the current administration since June 2018.

According to transparency platform Compranet, López Obrador’s team paid MXN 3.5 million to several business owners, including Bolaños López, to organize his final campaign event on June 27, 2018. On the other hand, the Mexican government spent MXN 8,975,649 when President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office on December 1, 2018.

Recommended: Mexico's federal government spent $36 million on public events and celebrations

Furthermore, the President’s office has granted several contracts Bolaños López in 2020.

On Army Day, the President’s office hosted an event at the Zócalo. The current administration paid MXN 2,905,320 for the event, which was organized by Bolaños López.

On his state of the union address on April 5, where President López Obrador unveiled his economic plan to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government paid Bolaños López MXN 82,900 to organize the event, even when there were no guests and the President simple read his report at the National Palace, in front of the media.

Mexico spent $36 million on public events and celebrations

In June 2020, EL UNIVERSAL reported the federal government spent MXN 36 million in massive events, campaign events, state of the union addresses, and AMLOfests.

Journalists from EL UNIVERSAL found that since López Obrador’s final campaign event in June 2018 and up to April 2020, businesswoman Yazmín Adriana Bolaños López has been granted the majority of contracts to organize these events.

The amount doesn’t include the ceremony organized on December 1, 2018, when President López Obrador took office, which cost MXN 41 million. It does include a celebration at the Zócalo, a banquet at the National Palace, as well as the hotel stay and transport for 100 guests.

López Obrador’s last campaign rally, hosted at the Azteca stadium on June 27, 2018, was MXN 3.5 million, while a festival at the Zócalo had a price tag of MXN 8,975,649. Meanwhile, the event hosted on June 1, 2019, cost MXN 3,390,000.

Recommended: Mexico's Independence Day celebrations scaled down during the COVID-19 pandemic

In 2019, the Independence Day celebration was MXN 13.5 million. The AMLOfest, which took place on December 1, 2019, had a price tag of MXN 4,441,000.

Between January and April 2020, while the COVID-19 pandemic struck Mexico, the President’s office spent over MXN 500,000 on dinner parties and celebrations, as well as painting and the renovation of the museum room at the National Palace.

On February 12, 2020, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador hosted a dinner party for over 100 business tycoons in a bid to request their help in a raffle. Federal authorities paid MXN 159,100 for the event.

On the anniversary of the death of Francisco I. Madero and José María Pino Suárez, the government paid Yazmín Adriana Bolaños MXN 124,220 to organize the events. It also paid MXN 120,000 for a painting of Lázaro Cárdenas to Ernesto Río, who was hired on February 19 and finished the painting on March 19.

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