The plenary session of the Peruvian Congress declared this Thursday persona non grata the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, for his repeated statements on internal affairs of Peru and the refusal to transfer the presidency of the Pacific Alliance to the Andean country.
The decision was made with 65 votes in favor, 40 against and 2 abstentions after having debated a motion with that approach that was approved last Monday by the Foreign Relations Commission of Congress.
In supporting the motion, the conservative parliamentarian María del Carmen Alva, president of that parliamentary group, pointed out that López Obrador’s statements constitute a “violation of the principle of non-interference” in the internal affairs of other countries.
“The Peruvian people do not accept acts of interference and meddling in our sovereignty,” Alva remarked.
After leftist parliamentarians rejected the proposal on the grounds that it would affect historical ties with the Mexican people, Alva responded that “this is a political gesture that Congress can make” and that “relations with Mexico have not been affected.”
“The only thing that is happening here is that the Mexican president is not recognizing our president (…) commercial and bilateral relations will never be affected,” he said.
The Foreign Relations Commission approved on Monday the motion to reject the statements by the president of Mexico and asked the plenary session to declare him persona non grata and urge the interior and foreign ministries to “carry out the necessary actions” so that “do not enter the national territory”.
In its explanatory part, the pronouncement rejected that the Mexican ruler had “made repeated public statements” about Peru “loaded with falsehoods”, which he described as “interfering, irresponsible and ideological”.
He recalled that López Obrador “is unaware of the legitimate constitutional succession” of President Dina Boluarte and that he is also in breach of the “international obligation established in the framework agreement” of the Pacific Alliance.
The Mexican ruler last week described Boluarte as a “usurper” and said that he should leave “the Presidency to the one who won in a free and democratic election, to Pedro Castillo”, who has been in prison since December 7 after being dismissed by the Peruvian Congress after attempting a coup.
He also reiterated that Mexico will not hand over the Presidency of the Pacific Alliance to her “because she is not legally and legitimately president of Peru.”
In response, the Peruvian Foreign Minister, Ana Cecilia Gervasi, affirmed that López Obrador and the Colombian Gustavo Petro, who also maintains his criticism of Boluarte, have shown an “attitude contrary to the principles and values that govern democratic coexistence.”
After the Foreign Affairs Commission approved the motion to reject his statements, López Obrador thanked last Tuesday for being asked to declare him “persona non grata” and said that he is “pride” for him.
At the end of last February, the Peruvian government announced the permanent withdrawal of its ambassador in Mexico and indicated that the bilateral relationship was limited to business managers, while Congress declared Petro and former Bolivian President Evo Morales persona non grata, in both cases for their criticism and public rejection of the Boluarte government.