On Sunday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum accused the United States of interfering in her country’s internal affairs at a rally in the capital, DPA agency reported, citing TASR. In front of a crowd of her supporters on the occasion of the second anniversary of her election to the office, she emphasized that, according to her, Mexico rejects any interference with its sovereignty and declares itself to be a free and independent state.
- Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum accused the United States of interfering in Mexico’s sovereignty.
- The president claims that the US authorities are requesting the detention of ten Mexican citizens.
- High-ranking public officials, including a senator, are also expected to be among the wanted persons.
- Sheinbaum describes foreign pressure on Mexican institutions as unacceptable external interference.
- The Mexican parliament has approved a constitutional reform allowing elections to be annulled in the event of foreign interference.
According to the president, an agency of the US Department of Justice requested the detention of ten Mexican citizens with the aim of extraditing them to the US. According to her, this group should have included high-ranking public officials, including the governor, the mayor and a current member of the Senate. However, it did not provide specific names or other details, and the DPA warned that the claims could not immediately be independently verified.
Allegation of interference
Sheinbaum claimed that at the moment when foreign states determine who is guilty and who is not, or put pressure on national institutions, we cannot talk about partnership cooperation, but about external interference in internal affairs. In this context, she emphasized the need to protect Mexico’s decision-making process from pressure from abroad.
At the same time, the president responded to the perception of Mexico abroad and stated that her country does not want to become a passive target of foreign policy. She figuratively noted that Mexico must not become a “piñata” that is only hit, pointing to a traditional object of children’s celebrations that is broken so that sweets or nuts fall out of it.
Debate o sovereignty
Sheinbaumová called on her supporters to organize information events on the squares in the coming weeks about the importance of protecting national sovereignty. According to her, these events should explain why, according to the current leadership of the country, it is necessary to defend against attempts at foreign influence on internal processes.
Her comments came at a time when there is growing public debate in Mexico about the extent to which foreign powers are interfering in the political process. The topic mainly concerns electoral processes and security cooperation, where Mexico has a long-term connection, especially with the United States.
The possibility of canceling elections
In the meantime, the parliament approved the constitutional reform pushed by the ruling Morena party led by Sheinbaum. The change assumes that in the case of proven foreign interference in the elections, it would be possible to annul the vote.
This legislative step fits into a broader political framework in which the government argues for the need to strengthen the protection of democratic processes against external influences. The current discussion thus combines specific accusations towards the USA with a longer-term effort to define the boundaries of international cooperation while preserving Mexican sovereignty.
