Andrés Manuel López Obrador

MEXICO CITY.- The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, regretted on Wednesday that the US Government did not defend the democratic principles in Peru, expressed in the popular will that elected Pedro Castillo as president.

«I really regret very much that the US government, which always talks about democracy, in this case, instead of asking that the will of the people be respected, that the elected president be respected in a democratic manner, what they do is that they endorse the entire truculent maneuver to remove the president,» López Obrador said at his morning press conference.

The Mexican president commented that Washington’s action on the political and institutional crisis in Peru, aggravated by the vacancy of Castillo by Congress and the appointment of Dina Boluarte as president, «is undoubted» and has been «completely interventionist,» because the U.S. appears «very prominent in all these events.»

«As soon as the facts were happening [in Peru], the first statement is from the US ambassador [Lisa Kenna] already recognizing the decision of Congress,» López Obrador said. «In the moments of most confrontation and repression, [the ambassador] goes to the Palace of Peru to see the president, to express her support, that is completely interventionist,» he added.

Along these lines, the Mexican president stressed that the US intervention in the internal affairs of other countries is not new, but obeys the so-called ‘Monroe Doctrine’ – which proclaims that the continent should be controlled by Washington – a policy that has been imposed on Latin American countries «for a long time and is still in force.» through the «leading role» of U.S. ambassadors in Latin American conflicts.

For López Obrador, this policy has to be eradicated, so he said that it will be an issue that he will discuss with his US counterpart, Joe Biden, to find a way to start a new stage of more respectful relations.

Concern for Peru

Meanwhile, López Obrador commented that he is concerned about the current situation in Peru, because democracy and the credibility of the institutions that should respect the popular mandate are at stake.

For the Mexican president, the dismissal of Castillo from the Presidency was an act of «imposition» that gave rise to the social implosion translated into the current crisis and the wave of prostestas in the South American country.

«In the case of Peru, it is the majority of Congress that is against the president, who is detained, and there is no evidence that he has committed a crime, there is no ruling that he has moral incapacity, an imposition is carried out, and people are dissatisfied because they do not respect the popular will,» he said.

López Obrador indicated that as Mexico has openly denounced what is happening in Peru, his country is pointed out in Lima as «non grato», which is «very regrettable», in the midst of a situation where human, citizen and democratic rights are violated.

«It is very regrettable, the most worrying thing is the repressive attitude, taking the Army to repress the people,» said the Mexican president in relation to the measures taken by Boluarte to stop the massive demonstrations that account for more than 20 deaths.