International
“It’s women’s time,” says Sheinbaum at the end of his campaign in front of the National Palace
The ruling candidate for the Presidency of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, closed her campaign this Wednesday in a massive event in the Zocalo of Mexico City full of hundreds of thousands of people, whom she invited to celebrate “the victory” in the same place this Sunday, June 2.
In the midst of the crowd, the standard-bearer of the National Regeneration Movement (Morena), Labor (PT) and Green parties, crossed the esplanade of the Plaza de la Constitución, between shouts and slogans of support, to give her last electoral message before the start of the ban this Thursday.
“See you here on June 2 at night to celebrate the victory,” Sheinbaum said at the gates of the Government Palace, headquarters of the Executive, in the center of the Mexican capital.
The ruling party began and ended her speech of about 30 minutes evoking the current president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whom she called “the best president in the history of Mexico” and who promised “to keep the legacy.”
Meanwhile, the public chanted again and again ‘It is an honor to be with Obrador’ and ‘President’.
“I promise to give my soul, my life and the best of myself for the well-being of the people and the dignity of the people of Mexico and the homeland,” said the former head of Government of Mexico City (2018-2023).
The candidate also promised to continue the megaprojects of the current government, such as the Maya Train and the Dos Bocas Refinery (both in the southeast of the country), as well as to dedicate “the public budget to all welfare programs,” a speech she held throughout her three months of campaign.
In addition, she called on voters to support her to be the first woman president “in 200 years of the Republic.”
“It’s a time for women and transformation, and I want to say it here too, that means living without fear and free of violence, and from this tribune I say to young women, to all the women of Mexico, companions, friends, sisters, daughters, mothers, grandmothers: they are not alone,” said Sheinbaum.
Behind Sheinbaum, stood out Félix Salgado Macedonio, former candidate for governor of the State of Guerrero for Morena in 2021, who was accused of harassment and sexual violence by several women, so he was then disqualified.
In the temple were also other representatives of Morena, such as the candidate for the Senate and former prosecutor of Mexico City, Ernestina Godoy; and the candidate for Mayor of Mexico City, Clara Brugada, who likewise closed her campaign.
“I assure you that in 2030, when our Government concludes, Mexico City will be even safer, more feminist and more diverse and the most human rights defender,” Brugada said in her opening message to the event.
Finally, the Cumbia group Los Ángeles Azules was in charge of closing the rally and putting some to dance on the plate of the Zócalo, which was gradually emptied as night fell.
On a corner of the esplanade, Professor Eufemio Flores hurried the step to return to his home in the Mountain region, in Guerrero, from where he traveled very early with his family to support and deliver a letter to Sheinbaum.
“The leadership of (Morena in) Guerrero, in our opinion, is only thinking about having popularly elected positions and they do not attend to our demands, that’s why we hope that our next president will listen to us,” the 67-year-old supporter told EFE.
The polls place Sheinbaum with a wide advantage over his main rival, Xóchitl Gálvez, who leads the opposition coalition Fuerza y Corazón por México, while in a distant third place is the also opponent, Jorge Álvarez Máynez, of Movimiento Ciudadano.
This Sunday, Mexico, whose Constitution does not allow presidential re-election, will have the largest elections in its history. 98 million voters are called to renew more than 20,000 positions, including the Presidency, the 500 deputies, the 128 senators and nine state governments.
International
Mexico requests extradition of ‘Mini Lic’ for murder of journalist Javier Valdez
The Mexican government has requested the extradition of Dámaso López Serrano, a former high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel, who is accused of masterminding the 2017 murder of Mexican journalist Javier Valdez, the Attorney General’s Office announced on Tuesday.
López Serrano, known as “Mini Lic,” was arrested last Friday in Virginia, United States, on charges of fentanyl trafficking, a crime he committed while on parole.
“This is the key issue for us, he [López Serrano] is the mastermind of this murder. The rest of the perpetrators are already processed and in jail, he was the one missing,” said Attorney General Alejandro Gertz.
“We immediately made the extradition request,” the official added during the routine morning press conference of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Valdez, an award-winning reporter specializing in drug trafficking and correspondent for AFP and the newspaper La Jornada, was murdered on May 15, 2017, in front of the office of his magazine Riodoce in Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa state.
“Mini Lic” was originally arrested in 2017 when he voluntarily turned himself in to U.S. authorities and pleaded guilty to trafficking methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine. In 2022, he was released on parole.
Gertz confirmed that the Mexican Attorney General’s Office had requested López Serrano’s extradition “countless times,” but Washington had declined to act on the request because he had become a “protected witness” for the U.S. government and “was providing a lot of information.”
“Now, with this situation where they themselves are acknowledging that this individual is still committing crimes, I think there are more than enough reasons for them to support us,” the prosecutor added.
The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the largest drug trafficking organizations in Mexico and was founded by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who is serving a life sentence in the United States.
Culiacán has been shaken by a wave of murders since the arrest of Ismael “Mayo” Zambada, another key leader of the cartel alongside Guzmán, on July 25 in New Mexico, United States.
International
Cuba’s government stresses openness to serious, respectful U.S. relations
Cuba reiterated on Tuesday its willingness to engage in dialogue with the United States, just weeks before Republican President Donald Trump assumes office. During his first term, Trump halted the historic rapprochement between the two countries, which had been initiated just ten years earlier by Democrat Barack Obama.
“It will not be Cuba that proposes or takes the initiative to suspend the existing dialogues, to suspend the existing cooperation. Not even the discreet exchanges on some sensitive issues,” said Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Fernández de Cossío at a press conference in Havana.
“We will be attentive to the attitude of the new government, but Cuba’s stance will remain the same as it has been for the last 64 years. We are willing to develop a serious, respectful relationship with the United States, one that protects the sovereign interests of both countries,” he added.
His statements come on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the historic rapprochement announcement between Washington and Havana.
On December 17, 2014, Cuban leader Raúl Castro (2006-2021) and Barack Obama (2008-2016) announced the beginning of a thaw in relations, which led to the restoration of diplomatic ties in 2015, after more than half a century of confrontation.
This process of thawing bilateral relations was later halted by businessman Donald Trump, who significantly reinforced economic sanctions against the communist-ruled country. The Republican will return to the White House on January 20.
Cuba, under a U.S. trade embargo since 1962, was re-listed in 2021 on the “blacklist of countries supporting terrorism,” blocking financial and economic flows to the island of 10 million inhabitants.
Subsequently, the administration of current Democratic President Joe Biden made only slight adjustments to the sanctions and also kept Cuba on this list. However, his administration resumed bilateral contacts with Havana on migration issues and the fight against terrorism.
International
Mexican government to use church atriums for gun surrender program to combat violence
The atriums of Mexican Catholic churches will be used for the voluntary surrender of weapons in exchange for economic and legal incentives as part of a plan announced on Tuesday by the government to reduce violence.
According to the Mexican government, there is a link between the illegal trafficking of weapons—almost entirely coming from the United States—and the spiral of criminal violence that has plagued the country since late 2006, when a controversial military anti-drug offensive was launched.
“The idea is to set up areas in the church atriums where people can voluntarily surrender their weapons, and in return, they will receive financial resources based on the weapon they are turning in,” explained President Claudia Sheinbaum during her regular press conference.
The left-wing leader emphasized that the program, called “Yes to Disarmament, Yes to Peace,” guarantees that those who surrender their weapons will not face any “investigation.”
“What we want is to disarm. This will be implemented next year. We also did it in Mexico City, and it had significant results,” added the former mayor of the capital, with a population of 9.2 million.
The disarmament plan is part of the government’s “comprehensive security strategy,” one of whose pillars is promoting a culture of peace, especially in regions severely affected by organized crime violence, Sheinbaum pointed out.
More than 450,000 people have been murdered in Mexico since the government launched its military-led anti-drug operation, alongside about 100,000 people who have gone missing.
Despite being a secular state, the Mexican Catholic Church has played a key role in efforts to contain violence, with priests acting as mediators between citizens and criminals. Several clergy members have been killed for this cause.
Just last week, the Catholic hierarchy called on cartels to declare a truce in their violent actions during the celebration of the Virgin of Guadalupe on December 12 and the upcoming Christmas holidays.
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