Pérez-Jaén Zermeño's 2020 Prediction on Alfonso Romo's Role Resonates Amidst Business Tensions

Mexico City – A tweet from Ma. Elena Pérez-Jaén Zermeño, a prominent Mexican political figure, referencing her December 2020 opinion piece in Reforma about Alfonso Romo, has drawn renewed attention to the former Chief of Staff's departure from President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's (AMLO) administration. Pérez-Jaén Zermeño's social media post, accompanied by the phrase "Se los dije..." (I told you so...), suggests a foresight into the dynamics surrounding Romo's position and its implications.

Alfonso Romo Garza, a distinguished businessman and a key liaison between the government and the private sector, resigned as Chief of Staff in early December 2020. President López Obrador confirmed the departure, stating that Romo had completed his agreed-upon two-year term. Romo's role was crucial in connecting the business community with the new administration, often navigating differing views on economic and environmental policies.

His resignation occurred amid increasing public scrutiny and criticism regarding the government's approach to the economy and private investment. Business leaders had viewed Romo as a moderating influence within the cabinet. Gustavo Hoyos, then president of the Mexican Employers Federation (Coparmex), noted that Romo served as an "interlocutor" and a "brake on many [government] ideas," helping to temper more radical proposals.

Despite his departure from an official post, President López Obrador announced that Romo would continue to act as his "main liaison" to the private sector, albeit without a formal government position. The President also stated that the Chief of Staff office itself would be dissolved as a cost-saving measure. This restructuring, however, was interpreted by some analysts as potentially further straining the relationship between the government and the business community.

Pérez-Jaén Zermeño's original article in Reforma, published around the time of Romo's resignation, likely delved into these tensions and the challenges Romo faced in his role. Her recent tweet serves as a retrospective commentary, implying that her earlier analysis accurately predicted the trajectory of Romo's influence and the broader dynamic between AMLO's "Fourth Transformation" agenda and the private sector.