Peru's Congress declares López Obrador persona non grata and deepens bilateral crisis with Colombia

Dina Boluarte and Andrés Manuel López Obrador.EFE

Peru's Congress has declared a regional head of state persona non grata for the second time in just over three months. If in February it happened with the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, for having said that the "Police march like Nazis against their people", this Monday the Parliament has taken an equivalent measure against the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

The Foreign Relations Committee of the legislature approved the motion with a large majority: 11 votes in favor, one against and 3 abstentions -.in the case of Petro were 13 in favor, none against and 3 abstentions-. The document urges the Ministry of the Interior and the Foreign Ministry to carry out the "necessary actions" so that López Obrador does not step on Peruvian soil. At least, during the mandate of Dina Boluarte, who took office last December after the failed self-coup attempt of Pedro Castillo, now in jail.

This is the umpteenth shock, the hardest and most decisive, after five months of escalation of tensions, dating back to just the end of last year. In all this time, López Obrador has defended Castillo without nuance, denying his attempt to break the constitutional order. In addition, the Mexican president has flatly refused to recognize the investiture of Boluarte. Finally, he also refuses to give him the pro tempore presidency of the Pacific Alliance by not considering his mandate as legitimate.

In these five months, diplomatic relations between Mexico and Peru were reduced to chargés d'affaires. The Executive of Boluarte ordered the expulsion of the Mexican ambassador in Peru, Pablo Monroy, and in turn, ordered the definitive retirement of its highest representative in Mexico, Manuel Talavera. Last week the waters returned to a boiling point when López Obrador justified his refusal to pass the baton of the pro tempore presidency by saying that "it is neither legal nor legitimate." These words provoked the response of Foreign Minister Ana Cecilia Gervasi, who called this position "negligent."

López Obrador had already ruled on the motion of the Peruvian legislature on the eve of the debate, calling Congress "poorly advised." "For me it is a ring of pride that those who act in this way declare me non grato. It is not correct," said the president, who again insisted that Pedro Castillo, who has been detained since December for two preventive detention orders, must be released. "They invent crimes, fabricate crimes of corruption and so on. What should be done in Peru, in addition to giving freedom to the president, to restore him so that an agreement is made and general elections are called as soon as possible, and that it is the people of Peru who decide, "he added.

On the other hand, there is another motion, promoted by a congresswoman of the right-wing Avanza País to sue the Mexican State before the International Court of Justice in The Hague for considering that "flagrantly violates the Framework Agreement of the Pacific Alliance" and "affects the rights and expectations" of the Peruvian State. Meanwhile, the president of the Foreign Relations Committee, Maricarmen Alva, celebrated the measure against López Obrador: "Peru respects itself and we will not tire of defending our democracy."

Follow all the international information on Facebook and Twitter, or in our weekly newsletter.