Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico – On Monday, May 27, interim mayor Francisco José Martínez Gil announced that Mexico’s Ley Seca (dry law) will be partially enforced in Puerto Vallarta this weekend due to the June 2 elections.
Ley Seca prohibits the sale of all alcoholic beverages for 48 hours surrounding elections, which includes 24 hours before the election and the entire day of the election. The law aims to ensure elections are conducted with the highest level of decorum.
The restriction on the sale of alcohol in Jalisco during election day is regulated by the Electoral Code and Citizen Participation of the State of Jalisco. This code grants the authority to limit the “hours of service of establishments that serve intoxicating drinks.”
To avoid economic losses in Puerto Vallarta’s restaurant and hotel sectors, which make up more than 90 percent of the municipality’s economic activity, the municipal government decided to relax the Prohibition Law. As a result, hotels and restaurant-bars are allowed to sell alcohol on Saturday, June 1, and Sunday, June 2, until 11 pm, but it must be consumed on the premises.
However, all commercial establishments selling alcoholic beverages in closed containers, such as convenience stores, grocery stores, cervecerías, liquor stores, and wine shops, are prohibited from selling alcohol throughout Saturday and Sunday. This law applies to both Mexican citizens and foreign tourists.
The decision was made in coordination with the National Chamber of the Restaurant and Seasoned Food Industry (CANIRAC), the Association of Hotels and Motels of Puerto Vallarta, and the Puerto Vallarta City Council. Key figures in this decision included the mayor, the director of Register and Licenses, Daniel Córdova Aréchiga, the head of Regulations, Salvador Gutiérrez, and the director of Municipal Tourism, Christian Preciado Cázares.
