López Obrador evades acknowledging Biden's victory until "legal matters" are over

Unlike other leaders who have extended their congratulations to the president-elect, Joe Biden, the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, said that he will avoid ruling on the presidential elections in the United States until the winner is determined "legally."

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And it is that his US counterpart, Donald Trump, refused to acknowledge his defeat on the grounds, without evidence,

In addition, he assured that his lawyers will sue for a recount of the result in Pennsylvania. 

"We are going to wait until all legal matters are finished, we do not want to be reckless,

 we cannot act, we want to be respectful of the self-determination of the people and the rights of others," López Obrador said at a press conference this Saturday.

The Mexican president claimed to have a good relationship with Trump and Biden.

He thanked the first for being respectful and not interfering in the affairs of the country.

Regarding the president-elect, he said that he met with him 10 years ago to talk about immigration policy.

Presidents Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Donald Trump meet at an event at the White House on July 8, 2020.

In the 2006 Mexican presidential elections, he recalled, 

 for winning the presidency, although the vote count had not yet finished.

Since then, López Obrador maintains that he was the victim of electoral fraud, in an election in which the winner was decided by a minimal margin.

Back then, his supporters demanded a

counting 

to make sure every vote in the country was reviewed.

However, the Mexican Electoral Tribunal decided that Felipe Calderón was the winner of the majority of the votes.

"We suffered a lot from the charges, from when the presidency was stolen from us one of the times and the votes had not yet been counted," he said.

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In particular, he referred to former Spanish president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who extended his congratulations to Calderón even though the vote count had not concluded.

For

,

added the president, the Mexican government will not express any position on the issue of the elections.

The Mexican president's decision 

, who wrote on his Twitter account: "This represents a true

of the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, at a time when the incoming Biden Administration seeks usher in a new era of friendship and cooperation with Mexico. "

"AMLO (López Obrador) has been complicit in Donald Trump's efforts to undermine the human rights of vulnerable asylum seekers," said

Kenia López, president of the Human Rights Commission in the Mexican Senate, and a member of the right-wing National Action Party (PAN), also criticized the president.

The same did Jesús Zambrano, president of the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD).

"Today López Obrador refuses to congratulate Joe Biden for his indulgence with Donald Trump. Populisms are beatable! In 2021 we will beat Mexican populism," Zambrano said.

Legislators from the ruling National Regeneration Movement (Morena) defended the president.

"The position of President López Obrador is prudent, necessary and in accordance with the times of respect for the sovereign decisions of other States and until there is an official elected president," defended Bertha Caraveo, president of the Border and Migration Affairs Commission of the Senate.

With information from Efe.