Title: Citizen Groups Accuse Mexican President of Jeopardizing 2024 Presidential Election
Mexico City – In a scathing public statement, various citizen groups forming the “Pink Tide” movement have accused President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of endangering the upcoming 2024 presidential election. The groups, including the National Civic Front, Yes for Mexico, and Mexico Civil Society, among others affiliated with the Broad Front for Mexico (PAN-PRI-PRD), rebuked the president for his continual disqualifications of the opposition process.
The collective addressed President López Obrador, highlighting his failure to comply with the constitutionally mandated neutrality. Accusing him of fraudulent and systematic activities to benefit his party, the groups expressed serious concern over the fairness of the upcoming race.
Reminding President López Obrador of his own actions in the past, the organizations drew attention to his request in 2006 for then-President Vicente Fox to refrain from commenting on the succession. They also blamed his complaints for causing a reform that criminalized the intervention of public servants in campaigns.
The groups condemned López Obrador for allegedly utilizing public resources for propagandistic purposes during his morning conferences. They further accused him of launching slanderous black campaigns based on false information.
Furthermore, the organizations questioned the President’s critique of the internal process within the Broad Front for Mexico. They emphasized that this process, supported by citizen groups that had previously mobilized marches in defense of the National Electoral Institute (INE) and the Supreme Court, was constructed by society and political parties to salvage Mexico. They regarded López Obrador’s defamation of those aspiring to lead this Opposition front as unwarranted.
López Obrador had previously implied that businessman Claudio X. González was leading a group that selected Xóchitl Gálvez as a candidate for the 2024 Opposition Front.
In response, the citizen groups stated, “You question us by looking in the mirror. The method of your party (Morena) is the one that is controlled from above, and it was your will that defined who could aspire, the one that imposed the rules on the process and the one that will uncover the chosen one. Well, it is evident that his favorite is Claudia Sheinbaum, and the others are waiting for the miracle of seeing him rectify. In contrast, in ours, the citizens organize, monitor, and decide.”
The groups also alleged that Morena campaigners, whom López Obrador derogatorily referred to as “corcholatas,” have been campaigning in advance for over two years without revealing the source of the millions of pesos spent on billboards, fences, and mass transportation for their events. They insinuated that the origin of these funds could be corruption or undisclosed commitments. In contrast, they emphasized that their own process would be strictly monitored and publicly reported.
Highlighting the contrasting methods between Morena and the opposition, the signatory groups emphasized the importance of freedom of expression and public deliberation in their own process. They stated that while there would be no debates in the Morena process, their method embraced democracy and gave citizens the power to decide.
Concluding the pronouncement, the citizen groups declared, “We agree on something – we are not the same. The contrast between the two methods is evident, which clearly prefigures the dilemma of the presidential election: democracy or dictatorship. The good thing is that the citizens will also decide there, and that fills us with hope.”
The message from the citizen groups was widely shared on social networks this Sunday, detailing their concerns over President López Obrador’s actions that they believe jeopardize the integrity of the 2024 presidential election.