Cannot do any kind of recognition of a government that is not yet legally constituted: the Mexican President
MEXICO:
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador dug his heels on Wednesday as one of the few leaders of major countries to congratulate Joe Biden on his presidential victory, saying it was too early and his country did not was “not a colony”.
Lopez Obrador, who accused his rivals of electoral fraud in his presidential defeats in 2006 and 2012, says he has no party in the US election and that he will wait for court challenges launched by the Trump administration about of the vote have taken place.
“We cannot do any kind of recognition of a government that is not yet legally and legitimately constituted,” he said at a press conference. “It’s not ours, it’s interventionism.”
Lopez Obrador did not hesitate to congratulate the winners of the 2019 Bolivian presidential election, which was later called off due to irregularities. Critics say his stance on Biden does not appear neutral.
US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to harm Mexico economically if he does not curb illegal immigration, has refused to accept defeat and has launched a lawsuit to assert allegations of electoral fraud. State officials said they were unaware of any significant irregularities.
Biden, a Democrat, crossed the threshold of 270 votes in the electoral college needed to win the presidency on Saturday.
While in opposition, Lopez Obrador compared Trump to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler and vowed to put him “in his place” if elected. Since taking office almost two years ago, he has worked to avoid conflict with the US president.
His attitude during the vote upset some Democrats, but Lopez Obrador insisted there would be no repercussions for Mexico.
“Because we adhere to our policy of principles,” he said. “Moreover, we are not a colony. We are a free, independent and sovereign country. The Mexican government is not the puppet of any foreign government.”
Lopez Obrador, from left, is among a group of retreating world leaders who have yet to congratulate Biden, alongside right-wing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Russian Vladimir Putin and Chinese Xi Jinping.
