Critics see setback for democracy in elimination of autonomous agencies Important counterweights to government power would be lost Published on Friday, January 8, 2021 19shares Former transparency watchdog officials, business groups and others have slammed President López Obrador’s plan to incorporate autonomous agencies into ministries and other federal departments, warning that the move would eliminate important counterweights to government power and represent a backward step for democracy. AMLO, as the president is commonly known, said Thursday that his government intends to absorb autonomous organizations such as the National Institute for Transparency and Access to Information (Inai) and the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) into federal ministries and departments. The aim of the plan is to save money and eliminate the duplication of responsibilities, he asserted.