Ricardo Monreal suffers from the loneliness of a declining monarch abandoned by former allies who have gone in search of a better tree to lean on in times of succession. The senator, who ranks last in most polls measuring Morena’s presidential candidates, confirms that the 22 governors of the pro-government bloc have effectively split into two camps around Claudia Sheinbaum, mayor of Mexico City, and Adán Augusto López, the secretary, to support the interior. Some of these alliances are very obvious: the leaders of Campeche, Veracruz, Sonora, Oaxaca, and Michoacán openly promoted Sheinbaum; Adán Augusto has his fans in Tabasco, Baja California Sur, Chiapas and Nayarit. Monreal, 62, points out that many of these leaders came from the Senate, where he hosted them and encouraged their aspirations. “It saddens me to see her like this,” he said honestly in an interview with EL PAÍS at the offices of the Senate Political Coordinating Committee, the remnants of his fiefdom.
Lawmakers are only certain that he has the support of Zacatecas Governor David Monreal, his brother. Regarding Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who disputes Sheinbaum’s top position in the polls, Monreal asserts that he has suffered the same fate as himself: “Perhaps nobody is on Marcelo’s side,” he sums up. “We are overwhelmed by the excesses of the gubernatorial and local presidential apparatus.” With a 42-year career that has included three federal deputies, three senators, governor of Zacatecas and head of the Cuauhtémoc (Mexico City) delegation, Monreal says that despite the imbalance in the internal struggle, he will fight until the final and will not give up for any of his opponents. Nor will they denounce the uncleanness of the selection process to the electoral authorities. He won’t protest, he won’t fight. He will remain silent, he says, so as not to harm the party and the movement founded by Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who recently shook hands with him again after two years of estrangement.
Monreal during the interview. Aggi Garduño
Questions. According to what you have practiced with Mario Delgado, when would Morena’s candidacy be established?
Answer. It is understood that in three months the internal process would begin and that the first survey they conduct could take place around August. Although I have personally insisted that the candidates must meet first, which could happen the week after the Mexico and Coahuila state election, which is the second week of June. That’s the idea. And before launching the call, we agreed on its content, the basics of the call, the poll and who would bring it in.
Q What are your concerns at this meeting?
R Rules, common ground – which no longer existed – removing offensive allegations and seeking common debates within the States, regional forums in which the proposals of the applicants are heard and a poll or series of external polls in which a single question is asked: who does it? Would you rather run for President? I think the result can be clearer by facilitating the question.
Q Would you be suspicious if the survey also included an assessment of applicants’ characteristics?
R I have many reasons not to believe in this type of survey. By the way, only on Monday, in a media interview, did the Minister of the Interior state that in 2017 I was at the top of the candidates for the post of head of government in all polls, and even according to the poll conducted by the party They put me in fourth place. In other words, the government itself recognizes that I won the elections. I won’t say it, the Minister of the Interior says it. So I have my doubts and of course my opposition to these kinds of questions and also to their raising by the party itself. I wouldn’t go there; If so, I’d rather not join, even if it sounds super powerful. Because I was already a victim of them and when I left in good faith, my good faith was betrayed.
Q Can two surveys be expected?
R I don’t know because we need to talk about it. I would say it was even a single poll.
Q Who benefits or harms that the President has brought forward the times for determining the candidacy?
R The President always did. It was he who drove the succession more than two years ago. It seems to me that the President is a political heterodox. It’s unique, it doesn’t follow any inclines and doesn’t follow the rules of old politics. Rather, he is innovative, he is a political innovator, and by making this announcement of the expected campaigns, he has achieved his goal of having Morena positioned for two years and his candidates being highly visible in front of society across the country.
Q There are those who think that evolving the definition could hurt those who are lagging behind in the polls.
R Yes. For example, I was recognized in January when Morena officially accepted me as an applicant, but a year and eight months ago I was not mentioned, nor was I accepted or recognized as an applicant.
Q Did that affect your chances?
R Of course, because not only was it not mentioned, it was completely ruled out. And a mention of the President is very important because popularly he is a very strong man. His word is accepted by all Morena militants and supporters. He is loved, he is recognized, he is respected. And any positive or negative expression tends to lead to very strong acceptance or rejection.
Q On Monday morning he mentioned you as a candidate.
R Yes, it’s the first time you mention me and I appreciate it.
Q Did that feel?
R I felt like the prodigal son, didn’t I? hahaha I felt good because a few months ago I also decided to take part in the movement and to define my political position with the President. No one should be surprised or indifferent to my position. I decided to play with the movement and the president. In other words, I believe in the movement and believe that the transformation process that the country is going through needs to be deepened. We must continue on this path and not go backwards. And so I had a clear political definition that leaves no room for doubt.
Q Was what happened at the National Palace on Friday, April 28th an operation to scar the President on you?
R It was a friendly reunion, a happy reunion because in politics self-won lawsuits are bad and I didn’t want to further distance myself from the President because I’ve been a part of the movement for 26 years of my political life and I don’t want to separate or end up in isolation or become separated from the movement. That’s why I decided to go with the movement.
Q In most polls you seem to be at a disadvantage. In the EL PAÍS survey, for example, it is in last place. Do you have any hope of overcoming this distance?
R Yes, I respect the polls, but these are photos of the day and obviously the process hasn’t started yet. I am confident to come back with my ideas, my proposal, my political experience and my preparation. I can do a lot for Mexico and I am ready to be President of Mexico. I am the best prepared, the one with the most political experience, the one who has held more popular office than anyone else, the one who has been in public service for 42 years. In other words, the facts warrant my capability and that is why I am currently concentrating on the proposal so that I can present it to activists and supporters when the time comes.
Q What do you have that the other applicants don’t have?
R Accumulated experience, tolerance, reconciliation, equanimity, prudence. I can converse with Tyrians and Trojans. I can easily talk to opponents and act tolerantly in all areas. I am among those who think of reconciliation and remember that all areas are vital to modern Mexico and the tremendous challenges it faces.
Q This ability to sit with Tyrians and Trojans is also seen by Morena as a sign of a lack of definition on her part.
R No, on the contrary. I think that without reconciliation there is no nation and the fact that you have the ability to speak to all sectors is a sign of openness and prudence and good governance because we can all do it together, even in principle united achieve the same goal even though we have different or different opinions on different subjects. But I believe in reconciliation. I don’t believe in permanent disagreements. I have my own criteria and I have my autonomy and I will continue to think the same and I will fight in the movement for what I want, believe and share without hurting anyone. There are those who think that speaking to the opposition is treason, or that reaching agreements and consensus is disloyalty. No, I do not think so. I believe that the unity of all sectors will be crucial in building modern Mexico in the future.
Q In the interest of unity, if the polls don’t turn out in your favor at any stage in Morena’s internal competition, are you willing to decline in favor of another applicant?
R No, I will not refuse. I will go to the end. For me, the other three applicants deserve respect. And all three are exceptional companions. Claudia Sheinbaum was an extraordinary, honest and incorruptible governor. Marcelo is for me the most effective assistant to the President, with a vision of the state beyond all conservative logic, he is a statesman and a man of capacity and intelligence. Adán Augusto, who has come from behind, also creates a surprising political dynamism determined to become the political and action instrument of the President of the Republic; For me, he is the closest of his associates and the one who implements the President’s decisions. So all three deserve respect for me and I will not confront any of them, but I will not refuse, I will take this process to the end because that is my goal.
The President of the Political Coordination Board (JUCOPO) in his Senate office. Aggi Garduño
Q Still, he believes there is a charge within the government for favoring Sheinbaum.
R I believe that the actions of the governors and mayors do not contribute to the transparency and fairness of the competition. And perhaps it’s the most disturbing and worrying element, because if the accusation of governor favoritism continues, it will obviously reflect in the results. A governor cannot act in this way because if he loads the dice in a moment it can be very risky for the unit and that strikes me as tricky. The governor cannot express that he has the right to personal sympathy because he is not: he represents a people, a region. And if your attitude and mood coincide with a person, then, of course, this distorts the internal strife.
Q Which governors are we talking about?
R Almost all of them already have a definition, which is fundamentally divided into two camps on one side or the other.
Q Claudia and Marcelo?
R No, they are more with Claudia and Adán than with Marcelo and me. They are more split between these two axes of Claudia and Adam. Much less, maybe nobody, with Marcelo. Very few or maybe none with me. It will be shared between the two. That’s the truth. But that can lead to this distortion.
Q It’s not just symbolic support.
R No, they are real facts! So that insults militancy. It creates illegal disadvantages and irritations between the sympathetic bases of one and the other. In other words, the rules are distorted. This is perhaps the most dangerous thing, and they should learn from the President of the Republic to maintain neutrality in relation to competition, to be careful that the President does not divert resources and does not become a promoter or coordinator of their expected campaigns.
Q Give me some examples of the governors you see on both sides.
R No, the thing is that the country is divided.
Q There are 22 governments of Morena and their alliances.
R Yes, it is very easy to spot them, the support and opinions tending towards one or the other have already been fully verified. It’s very easy to spot them. Anyone can tell you.
Q You can not?
R No, because some governors and governors have left the Senate. It saddens me to see them like that because it doesn’t contribute to the democratic process.
Q The campaigns involve not only governors but also federal officials, right?
R Mayors, secretaries, undersecretaries. It is very worrying that this is happening.
Q If the internal process doesn’t convince you because of its imperfections, because of its lack of cleanliness, would you then challenge the result in court?
Q No, I have decided that it is better not to participate if there is any irregularity if such a situation persists. I will not denounce this in front of electoral bodies or electoral courts because it harms Morena and what Morena needs at this stage is unity. I am convinced that unity is the only thing that can guarantee us ratification in 2024. I prefer not to participate.
Q But doesn’t it hurt Morena anymore that there are these irregularities in her inner workings and that they go unpunished?
R I won’t be the one to say it. I’ve decided to stay humble, balanced and level-headed because I don’t want to harm the movement I’ve started. But that doesn’t mean that other voices can’t appear. I don’t know it. I don’t
Q How do you assess Mario Delgado’s role in leading this whole process?
R He did his best. I believe he was trying to command the leadership of the movement. Leading and leading a process like the one that is coming up is not easy for a leader. It is difficult because of the personality of the applicants. I would tell him that Mario Delgado’s leadership of the party is acceptable.
Q There also seems to be a bias in favor of Sheinbaum within the party apparatus.
R Yes, it seems so. I don’t know it. The party would have to say it, but I won’t interfere. There are already complaints about what is happening. I don’t want to be a factor of discord or disruption of domestic politics.
Q And unlike you, Ebrard has sharpened the tone of his demands on Morena and his criticism of Sheinbaum. What do you make of it?
R That we should be careful because ultimately, at the time of the trial, it will affect us all. Reason supports Marcelo, as reason would help me, because we are being overwhelmed by the excesses of the governor and mayor apparatus. Marcelo is right when he raises the tone of what is happening. But still I would encourage him to talk to Morena and find a solution before a situation arises caused by what happened.
Q What is the reason for this change in your tone? At the end of last year he considered staying in Morena.
R I decided in January to stay in the movement. And I, as a philosophy, have decided not to betray him, neither to the people nor to the founder of the movement. I decided that I would help get the movement ratified in 2024 and that we would change things so we could improve the country from within and not from without. I keep thinking about the need for reform and change in Morena and in the government, but from within. There’s no change because I never confronted the President. I have disagreements on some decisions, I have stood by them and I will stand by them. But I will not turn my back on the President or Morena.
Q Won’t we see him later as a candidate for Mexico City’s government?
R No, I do not know. Right now I’m just thinking about running for president at the national level. I don’t know it. There are many colleagues in Mexico City who are rated well. And I’m not in that process, I’m in the process of succeeding the President. It is with great pleasure and honor that part of the militancy is thinking of me, but at this moment I am very involved in the succession of the President, despite the disadvantages and the field so unequal in which I participate.
Q Maybe the wind in the city is blowing in your favor this time.
R I don’t know, but six years ago he was at the top of every poll. The Home Secretary has already said it and I was glad he said it because it confirms my position that I exited in a bad way in 2017 when I won the polls and the party put me in fourth place has.
Q It’s a wound that hasn’t healed.
R Yes, he’s healed, and he’s healed because Claudia ran a good government and I’m happy with her performance. I have no problem, no entitlement, no frustration, no hurt. It was forever And how good.
Subscribe here Subscribe to the EL PAÍS México newsletter and receive all the important information about current events in this country