World News
Published February 18, 2024, 8:14 p.m. ET
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Thousands of pink-clad demonstrators marched through cities in Mexico and abroad on Sunday ahead of June 2 elections in a so-called “March for Democracy” aimed at the country's ruling party.
The demonstrations called by Mexico's opposition parties called for free and fair elections in the Latin American country and railed against corruption. On the same day, the leading candidate for the presidency, Claudia Sheinbaum, officially registered as a candidate for the ruling Morena party.
Sheinbaum is widely seen as a successor candidate to Mexico's hugely popular populist leader Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Thousands of demonstrators take part in a “March for Democracy” in Mexico City on February 18, 2024. AP Photo/Marco Ugarte
He is revered by many voters who say he pushed the country's elite parties from power in 2018 and represents the working class.
But the 70-year-old president is also accused of taking measures that endanger the country's democracy.
Last year, the leader cut funding for the country's election agency, the National Electoral Institute, and weakened oversight of campaign spending, which the INE chief said “could ultimately poison democracy itself.” The agency's color, pink, was used as a symbol by protesters.
López Obrador has also attacked journalists in hours-long news conferences, repeatedly attacked Mexico's judiciary and claimed judges were part of a conservative conspiracy against his government.
In Mexico City on Sunday, thousands of people dressed in pink flocked to the city's main square, chanting: “Get López out.”
The demonstrators called for free and fair elections in Mexico and criticized presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum. AP Photo/Marco Ugarte
Others carried signs that read, “The power of the people is greater than those in power.”
Opposition organizations marching included National Civic Front, Yes for Mexico, Citizen Power, Civil Society Mexico, UNE Mexico and United for Mexico.
“Democracy doesn’t solve water shortages, it doesn’t solve hunger, it doesn’t solve many things. But without democracy you can’t solve anything,” Enrique de la Madrid Cordero, a prominent politician from the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), said in a video posted on social media urging people to join the protests.
Demonstrators carry dolls depicting Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum. AP Photo/Marco Ugarte
The PRI held power in Mexico continuously for more than 70 years.
Marches were organized in a hundred cities across the country, as well as other cities in the United States and Spain.
Nevertheless, the president remains very popular and his ally Sheinbaum seems to have no problem advancing to the presidency.
She is leading the polls by a whopping 64%, ahead of her closest competitor, Xóchitl Gálvez, who received 31% of the vote.
Mexico will elect a new president on June 2, 2024. APAP Photo/Marco Ugarte
López Obrador railed against the protests during Friday morning's news conference and asked whether organizers cared about democracy.
“They call for demonstrations to defend corruption, they demand the return of the corrupt, even though they say they care about democracy,” he said.
Load More…
{{#isDisplay}} {{/isDisplay}}{{#isAniviewVideo}} {{/isAniviewVideo}}{{#isSRVideo}} {{/isSRVideo}}
https://nypost.com/2024/02/18/world-news/thousands-rail-against-mexicos-president-and-ruling-party-in-march-for-democracy/?utm_source=url_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign =site%20buttons
Copy the URL to share