From the heart of MEXICO CITY — A sea of pink-clad protestors took to the streets in numerous cities across Mexico and even in foreign lands on Sunday. Their mission? A “march for democracy” aimed at challenging the country’s ruling party ahead of the upcoming elections on June 2.
These demonstrations, orchestrated by Mexico’s opposition parties, were a call to arms for transparent and equitable elections in the Latin American country. They also served as a platform to voice their concerns about corruption. This all happened on the same day that Claudia Sheinbaum, the presidential front-runner, officially registered as a candidate for the ruling party, Morena.
Sheinbaum is widely perceived as a successor to Mexico’s immensely popular populist leader, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. He is revered by a large number of voters who believe he successfully challenged the country’s elite parties in 2018 and is a true representative of the working class.
However, the 70-year-old president has also faced criticism for actions that some believe could jeopardize the country’s democracy. Last year, he drastically cut funding for the National Electoral Institute, the country’s electoral agency, and weakened the oversight of campaign spending. The head of INE warned that such actions could “wind up poisoning democracy itself.” The agency’s color, pink, has been adopted as a symbol by the protestors.
López Obrador has also been known to target journalists in lengthy press briefings, frequently criticize Mexico’s judiciary, and allege that judges are part of a conservative conspiracy against his administration.
In Mexico City on Sunday, the city’s main plaza was awash with thousands of pink-clad protestors chanting “get López out.” Some held signs that read “the power of the people is greater than the people in power.”
Among the opposition groups participating in the march were the National Civic Front, Yes for Mexico, Citizen Power, Civil Society Mexico, UNE Mexico, and United for Mexico.
“Democracy doesn’t solve lack of water, it doesn’t solve hunger, it doesn’t solve a lot of things. But without democracy, you can’t solve anything,” stated Enrique de la Madrid Cordero, a notable politician from the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, in a video posted on social media encouraging people to join the protests.
The PRI maintained unbroken power in Mexico for over 70 years.
Protests were organized in a hundred cities across the country, and even in cities in the United States and Spain.
Despite the protests, the president remains highly popular and his ally Sheinbaum seems poised to easily win the presidency. She leads the polls by a staggering 64% over her closest competitor, Xóchitl Gálvez, who has polled at 31% of the votes.
López Obrador criticized the protests during his Friday morning press briefing, questioning the motives of the organizers.
“They are calling the demonstration to defend corruption, they are looking for the return of the corrupt, although they say they care about democracy,” he said.
Disagree, the president and governing party have shown progress in democracy.
Disagree, the president has made positive strides towards democracy.
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