"We are not intermediaries": Tabasco government halts PRD's CFE negotiations

In a clear political shift, the Tabasco government rejected the PRD's request to mediate in the "civil resistance" conflict against the CFE. "We don't need intermediaries with the people; they should go directly to the CFE," declared Energy Secretary Sheila Cadena.

VILLAHERMOSA, Tabasco.- The Tabasco government has taken a clear and direct line in the historic "civil resistance" conflict against the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), rejecting the request for mediation by the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), the organization that originally championed this social struggle.

The response from the state executive branch, headed by Javier May Rodríguez, was forceful: the administration will not act as the party's manager in the state-owned enterprise.

The official position was communicated by the head of the Secretariat for Energy Development (Semades), Sheila Cadena Nieto, after the state leadership of the PRD went to the Government Palace to deliver a document requesting a dialogue table.

"The PRD's position was not delivered in the correct place. They should go directly to the CFE. Citizen hearings are held here every day. That's the proper channel to express any disagreement. We don't need intermediaries with the people," Cadena Nieto stated.

The official argued that May's government maintains a policy of direct contact with the population through public hearings and that this is the main way to address the needs of Tabasco residents, without the need for political party intervention.

The PRD's action is part of the revival of its most emblematic political banner in Tabasco. The party has announced a new phase of civil resistance, which includes the distribution of up to 100,000 injunction forms so that citizens can defend themselves against what they consider excessive charges, poor service, and the "criminalization" of users by the CFE.

The PRD leadership, headed by Rafael Acosta León, argues that the "Goodbye to Your Debt" program, implemented in 2021, was a "political simulation" that did not resolve the underlying problem, as overcharged bills continued to reach Tabasco households.

While rejecting mediation for the PRD, the state government maintains that it is addressing the problem. Secretary Sheila Cadena reported that Governor Javier May has been in direct communication with the CFE since the transition period and has demanded better service for the state.

He indicated that this Friday, the CFE will deliver a complete diagnosis of the state's electricity grid to the governor, based on which a work and maintenance plan will be presented to resolve the faults and strengthen the supply. This maneuver seeks to position the Morena government as the only valid interlocutor and architect of the solution, politically displacing the PRD from a cause that has been its own for decades.