Overview
- The Energy and Mines Commission approved a bill to extend the small‑scale mining registry through December 31, 2027, or until a new MAPE law takes effect.
- The text reinstates more than 50,000 previously excluded REINFO files and pauses ongoing exclusion procedures.
- A motion to split the votes on the extension and the reinstatements failed in a 7–7 tie decided by commission president Víctor Cutipa, and the final dictamen passed 17–3 with one abstention.
- Beyond the extension, the proposal orders a national census of small and artisanal miners, mandatory geolocation updates via the Ventanilla Única, transfer of regional records to the ministry, and buyer due‑diligence to verify mineral origin.
- Miner groups rallied around Congress to press for passage, while business guilds, the CAN Secretariat, and the Constitutional Court issued warnings, and lawmakers criticized the Executive for limited engagement.