Mexico’s president calls Peruvian counterpart a ‘puppet’ amid row | Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador News
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador continues to oppose the removal of former leftist President Pedro Castillo of Peru.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador attacked his Peruvian counterpart, Dina Boluartedescribed her as a “puppet” of the oligarchs in the latest escalation of tensions between the two countries.
Relations between Mexico and Peru have been strained since former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo was ousted in December. On Monday, Lopez Obrador continued to criticize Castillo’s arrest and imprisonment, calling the situation a “total farce” and a “great injustice.”
He speculated that the “ultimate goal” of Castillo’s removal was “an oligarch plundering the country’s natural resources”.
“They need a puppet, a fake governor of their own,” Lopez Obrador told a news conference.
Castillo has been removed from office of legislators late last year after he tried to dissolve Congress. He was replaced by the then vice president, Boluarte.
On Friday, Boluarte announced withdrawal “definitely” of Peru’s ambassador to Mexico after Lopez Obrador deemed her government unconstitutional. She also criticized what she called Lopez Obrador’s interference in Peru’s “internal affairs and his repeated unacceptable questioning of the constitutional and democratic origins” of the country. her government.
Boluarte said the two countries’ relationship will continue to be at a business-only level.
Earlier on Friday, the Mexican president said his country “will continue to support.” [Castillo] who have been unjustly and illegally removed from office”.
On Saturday, Mexico’s foreign ministry said it regretted Peru’s decision to bring back its ambassador from Mexico.
The diplomatic spat began shortly after Boluarte took office, with Lopez Obrador denouncing the impeachment and imprisonment of Castillo, who was in pre-trial detention for crimes against him. 18 months on charges of conspiracy and sedition. Castillo has denied the allegations.
Peru declared the Mexican ambassador to Lima a “persona non grata” in December after Mexico granted asylum to the Castillo family.
Castillo’s removal also caused weeks of protests that cost about 60 DEADMAN and called on Boluarte to resign. The Government of Peru declared state of emergency in response to the protests, amid criticism from rights groups.
A former teacher and union leader from a small town in northern Peru, Castillo faced corruption charges and was previously impeached twice in less than two years in office. But he maintained a solid base among rural voters and disenfranchised Indigenous groups.
In Mexico City, Lopez Obrador faced protests against his government on Sunday as thousands gathered to denounce a law that would cut the budget for the country’s electoral body.
Critics say the measure threatens the integrity of elections and democracy in the country, but the president has defended the law as an incentive to cut costs for taxpayers.
Mexico will hold presidential elections next year, but Mexican presidents are limited to a single six-year term under the country’s constitution, so López Obrador will not be run.
