Professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa. D. in Political Science and Sociology from Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Member of the National System of Researchers of Mexico.
Sinaloa is in the spotlight for the capture, kidnapping, or possibly negotiated surrender—it is not clear—of leaders of the so-called Sinaloa Cartel to the U.S. government.
For López Obrador to address Trump by letter, as if he were already the president of the United States, is a major diplomatic blunder without precedent between the two nations, and limits the political space of his successor.
What INE and the Electoral Tribunal of the Judiciary decide regarding the composition of the Congress of the Union will determine whether democratic checks and balances are preserved or if there will be a decline into hyper-presidentialism.
Regardless of the path taken by the next government, checks and balances are essential to strengthen institutions and minimize the risks of the emergence of authoritarian governments.
We are in the final stage of the campaigns with a society shaken by criminal violence and narco-politics, with the assassination of dozens of candidates, which generates fear in entire regions of the country.
If the pro-government candidate wins without a qualified majority in both chambers, the good news is that she could not only increase her room for maneuver and independence, and her capacity to negotiate with the opposition, but also not go down in history as the tutelary president.
AMLO recently stated that "Above the law is the moral and political authority of the president". He should be reminded that in a democracy the president is a product of the laws. The president must act under the laws and defend them, not the other way around.
In the so-called "biggest election in history" that will take place on June 2, there is a player in the shadows who is acting openly. And it is likely to become more visible as the election campaign progresses.
Mexico is moving from a representative democratic system to a sui generis leftist populist autocracy. In this context, the most copious concurrent elections in the country's history will be held.
