Claudia Sheinbaum has now served just over 10 months as president of the Republic, during which time she has had to navigate scandals and internal conflicts within Morena.
Although she has taken a mediating stance in most cases involving the 4T (T), on more than one occasion, the president has also sent strong messages to the membership on various issues, including issues related to the principles of the movement founded by her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Sheinbaum has had to make specific appeals to Morena figures for failing to comply with some of the foundations of the “cherry-colored” party.
In addition, Morena figures have displayed signs of “disobedience” to the requests of the leader of the self-proclaimed Fourth Transformation.
- The alleged “snub”
The alleged “snub” to President Claudia Sheinbaum during her informational meeting at the Zócalo on March 9th garnered attention, despite the fact that it was clearly an oversight on the part of those involved.
Images captured during the event show Morena supporters, as well as the Governor of the Bank of Mexico, Victoria Rodríguez Ceja, taking a photo with Morena leaders Luisa María Alcalde and “Andy” López Beltrán himself, in an effort to demonstrate unity.
However, in the photo, the 4T elite was seen turning their backs on the president, which was interpreted by opponents as a greater interest in taking a photo with López Obrador’s son, Andrés Manuel López Beltrán.
President Sheinbaum asserted that her supporters were simply distracted and that it was a minor incident.
While those involved, such as Ricardo Monreal, Adán Augusto López, and Manuel Velasco, apologized through social media and stated that it was an oversight.
For his part, the coordinator of the Morena deputies, Monreal Ávila, said this is now “a closed chapter.”
- ISSSTE Law on the “freeze”
Sheinbaum Pardo sent to the Chamber of Deputies a reform initiative to the ISSSTE Law that proposes strengthening health services and providing housing, as part of the president’s measures to repeal the “privatizing” Law of 2007.
According to Martí Batres, director of ISSSTE, the initiative, implemented during Felipe Calderón’s six-year term, stripped FOVISSSTE of its authority to build and lease housing for workers and privatize medical services within its hospitals, among other things.
However, Ricardo Monreal sent another signal of disobedience to Sheinbaum Pardo’s presidential initiative by announcing that the proposal would be sent to the freezer to avoid affecting the teaching profession.
“The reforms to the ISSSTE Law are frozen; there will be no ruling that harms teachers. This is based on the instructions of the Morena parliamentary group. We will not rule on it if it affects teachers until we have an agreement with them,” he stated.
Regarding this decision, Martí Batres affirmed that President Sheinbaum is open to dialogue and asserted that this initiative by the president “is good” and “does not affect teachers in any way.”
- Nepotism until 2030
Another sign is the decision to modify the president’s initiative against nepotism and reelection, so that the former would apply until 2030 and not until 2027 as she proposed.
However, Adán Augusto López, Morena’s coordinator in the Senate, and the Green Party’s parliamentary leader, Manuel Velasco, modified the ruling to extend the initiative until 2030, in an effort to secure the PVEM’s votes for constitutional approval, which required a supermajority.
Sheinbaum understood that it was a political agreement between Morena and the Green Party to maintain unity, but nevertheless maintained her position:
“My position remains that it should be approved by 2027.”
Although he did call on Morena to take measures against nepotism in its internal processes, and according to Luisa María Alcalde, this will be done starting with the 2025 and 2027 elections.
- Morena Party Trips and the Call for Austerity
In recent days, numerous Morena party members have been captured on vacation in Europe and even Asia.
The cases that sparked the most controversy were those of Ricardo Monreal and Andrés Manuel López Beltrán, as they were absent from the recent Morena National Council meeting held last Sunday.
Their absence sparked speculation about their personalities. While Monreal announced that he had missed the party’s conclave for “personal reasons,” the secretary general of the party’s National Executive Committee, Carolina Rangel, had stated that “Andy” López Beltrán decided not to run under the same pretext.
Hours after the Council meeting, the first scandal erupted: Reforma leaked a photograph of Monreal at the Rosewood Villa Magna hotel in Madrid, Spain, having breakfast with his wife.
This prompted the Morena deputy coordinator to clarify that he had never stayed there, but he also confessed that he did have breakfast at the Rosewood Villa Magna.
Meanwhile, “Andy” López Beltrán, Morena’s Organization Secretary and son of former President López Obrador, was photographed at a restaurant inside the five-star hotel The Okura, located in Tokyo, Japan.
Furthermore, Latinus revealed images of the Morena member strolling in the Aoyama neighborhood, one of the most exclusive areas of the Japanese capital. López Beltrán was photographed outside a Prada store, an Italian brand that produces luxury clothing and accessories.
In both cases, Claudia Sheinbaum called for Morena to prioritize austerity and the movement’s values.
“Power is exercised with humility. That is my position and it always will be, always. People have the right to visit one country or another. But we have a political responsibility,” she asserted.
Just last May, the president sent a letter to the Morena leadership in which she proposed compliance with 10 ethical and political principles, among which she highlighted adherence to “honesty, humility, and simplicity” and the mandate to abide by republican austerity.
However, despite this demand on Morena members, some have ignored it. In addition to the cases of Monreal and “Andy” López Beltrán, there are other trips by the Secretary of Education, Mario Delgado, to Portugal; Representative Enrique Vázquez to Ibiza; and the alleged celebration of legislator Pedro Haces in Madrid.
Source: politico
