Mexico’s López Obrador claims “nothing to hide” after being denounced at the OAS

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, stated on Thursday, May 13, that he has “nothing to hide”, after being denounced before the Organization of American States (OAS) by a candidate for governor of Nuevo Leon state, who accuses him of “intervening in the elections”.

“We have nothing to hide. We are fighting for democracy, we want the country’s transformation, and we are against corruption. Any organization can come and check; the doors are open to them,” he said in his morning press conference at the National Palace.

At López Obrador’s request, the Mexican Attorney General’s Office opened this week an investigation for vote-buying against the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) candidate in Nuevo León; he, in turn, went to the OAS to denounce the president for electoral interference.

López Obrador said this Thursday that De la Garza committed a “crime” by promising cards with economic support if he wins the elections of next June 6 and asked the Public Prosecutor’s Office to resolve the matter.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The Prosecutor’s Office has to decide. Everyone has the right to go to the OAS, the UN, or any international organization”, said the president.

López Obrador, of the leftist National Regeneration Movement (Morena) party, applauded that this “debate” has been opened so that once and for all, “vote buying is over”.

“It is immoral; the people have to be free, the election has to be clean”, reiterated López Obrador, who invited “all the people” to denounce irregularities in the elections.

In addition to De la Garza, the Attorney General’s Office investigates the candidate of Movimiento Ciudadano (MC) in Nuevo León, Samuel García, and several of his relatives for alleged use of illicit resources for electoral purposes.

Both candidates are leading in the polls, ahead of the ruling Morena party candidate, Clara Luz Flores, who has faded in the polls during the last few weeks.

The president was questioned on Tuesday about whether he had anything to do with these investigations. He answered, “of course I do”, even though the Attorney General’s Office is an independent government body.

“What has been happening in these last dates violates the fundamental charters of inter-American democracy, which have always been respected,” said de la Garza in filing his complaint.

On June 6, more than 93 million Mexicans are called to the polls to elect 500 federal deputies, 15 of 32 state governors, 30 local congresses, and 1,900 city councils, in what are considered the largest elections in Mexico’s history.