Senate leader floats Juan Gabriel for Mexico's top honor
The Senate's president proposed that senators consider the late singer for the medal; there is no registered nomination and no date to decide.
Higinio Martínez Miranda, president of the Senate's governing board, proposed Monday that the chamber consider Juan Gabriel for the Belisario Domínguez Medal of Honor, posthumously. The singer-songwriter, one of Mexico's best-loved performers, died on Aug. 28, 2016.
This is not a formal nomination. "At the very least, I would suggest we think about it," the senator from the governing Morena party told a news conference. He argued that the "Divo de Juárez" has merits through his popular reach, and cited his appearance at the Palace of Fine Arts, which drew criticism at first and then won the public's applause.
In the same remarks he named other figures who, in his view, could receive the medal, among them Carlos Slim and Olga Sánchez Cordero. He also proposed clearing the backlog of the 2024, 2025 and 2026 medals in a single plenary session: "Let's decide on all three."
What comes next
The medal is the highest distinction the Senate gives to Mexicans with eminent service to the country, and by tradition it is awarded on Oct. 7. The Belisario Domínguez Medal Commission, made up of senators of the LXVI Legislature, reviews each proposal and issues a ruling.
Nominations can come from the three branches of government, local legislatures and governments, universities, civil society groups and anyone else. So far there is no registered request in favor of Juan Gabriel and no date to decide on his case. Anyone who wants to push for him has to submit the proposal to the commission; Martínez's remarks are an opinion, not a decision.
