Constitutional Amendments Regarding Maximum Salaries of Public Servants

After much discussion, amendments to articles 75, 115, 116, 122, 123 and 127 of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States were published on August 24th, which establish, without limitation, that no federal, state or municipal public official may receive compensation in excess of the amount paid to Mexico’s president, and that no public servant may earn a salary that is equal to or greater than that of their immediate supervisor. Note that the reform contains an exception in cases of currently serving public servants, whose salaries may not be reduced by constitutional mandate, as is the case with the Mexican Supreme Court of Justice, the magistrates of the Electoral Tribunal of the Mexican Federal Judiciary, Circuit Court magistrates, Federal District judges, counselors on the Federal Judicial Counsel (Judicatura Federal) and members of the General Counsel of the Federal Electoral Institute, as well as those magistrates and judges working for the various state judicial branches. The salary limits contained in the reform will apply to new public servants who occupy such posts, once the current occupants of these positions depart. In any case, additional compensation, such as honoraria, prizes, reimbursements, bonuses, stimulus payments, etc., will be added to compensation, which may not exceed the maximum presidential salary referred to above.