Deputy Heber López Letona of the Obras Civic Party will chair the Ethics Commission of the Chamber of Deputies following a majority vote by party spokespersons. The decision was reached during a meeting of the Board of Spokespersons of the Lower House on Wednesday afternoon, choosing López Letona over deputy Javier Cipriani, who had been proposed by the Renovación Popular party.
Renovación Popular deputy and spokesperson Roxana Rocha confirmed that the selection followed a vote among party representatives. Rocha said she proposed Cipriani for the role, but other proposals emerged, including the candidate from Obras, who won by a majority vote.
Negotiations for Remaining Commission Chairs
Rocha announced that the Board of Spokespersons has not yet agreed on the leadership of other congressional commissions. She explained that a decision is expected in the coming hours after a request from the Ahora Nación bench was granted by the president of the board, allowing the full list of commissions, chairmanships, and vice-chairmanships to be presented on Wednesday.
Renovación Popular is seeking to lead several committees, including Justice, Education, Defense and Internal Order, and State Modernization. Rocha noted that negotiations involve a four-party coalition and that Wednesday will be decisive in determining which working groups each party will direct.
Rocha also raised the possibility that the opposition bloc might lead certain commissions in the Chamber of Deputies that the pro-government bloc holds in the Senate, such as Justice and Constitution, to create a balance of power. She stated that while establishing a counterweight is an option, final decisions depend on detailed discussions scheduled for Wednesday.
Opposition Benches Seek Key Committees
Ahora Nación spokesperson César Holguín reaffirmed that the full organization of Lower House commissions will be published on Wednesday. Holguín expressed interest in leading the Justice, Education, and Constitution commissions, noting that the Justice and Constitution committees are currently chaired in the Senate by Renovación Popular and Fuerza Popular, respectively.
Holguín said Ahora Nación is engaged in dialogue to finalize this phase while prioritizing its legislative agenda. He added that the party will make every effort during talks to head committees of interest while taking into account the views of other benches.
Ahora Nación spokesperson and deputy Indira Huilca described conversations among opposition benches as fruitful, adding that communication between groups has not been difficult. Huilca stated that lawmakers are working to define roles carefully so that commission chairmanships serve to advance legislative projects benefiting citizens rather than acting merely as positions of power.
Obras Party Priorities and Assignments
Víctor Piñán, deputy and spokesperson for Obras, stated that his party has been assigned to chair two commissions in the Lower House. While overall commission leadership across the chamber remains to be finalized, Piñán emphasized that Obras prioritizes leading the Agrarian Commission.
Piñán added that Obras would also like to chair the Labor or Economy commissions, noting that upcoming conversations with other spokespersons will determine how the working groups are structured.
