Peru bars Mexican president as diplomatic rift deepens
Peru’s Congress has voted to declare Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum persona non grata, barring her from entering the country as a dispute between Lima and Mexico spirals into a full-blown diplomatic standoff.
The motion, passed on Thursday by 63 votes to 34, comes just days after Peru severed diplomatic relations with Mexico over its decision to grant asylum to former Peruvian prime minister Betssy Chávez, who is facing trial for her alleged role in a 2022 coup attempt.
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Lawmakers in Lima accused Sheinbaum of meddling in Peru’s internal affairs by granting political refuge to Chávez, who fled to the Mexican embassy in the capital earlier this week. Peru’s foreign minister, Hugo de Zela, condemned Mexico’s decision as an “unfriendly act” that interfered in the country’s judicial process.
“Sheinbaum’s actions undermine Peru’s democracy,” said Fernando Rospigliosi, president of Congress. He called the declaration a show of support for the government’s decision to cut ties with Mexico.
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Some members of Congress went further. Ernesto Bustamante, a legislator on the foreign relations committee, accused the Mexican leader, without evidence of having links to drug traffickers. “We cannot allow someone like that to interfere in Peruvian affairs,” he said, according to Mexico’s El País newspaper.
The Mexican government has rejected the accusations, insisting its decision to offer asylum followed international law and “in no way constitutes an intervention in Peru’s internal affairs.”
Chávez, who served as prime minister under former president Pedro Castillo, was imprisoned in 2023 for allegedly helping him attempt to dissolve Congress. She denies any involvement in the failed coup and was later released on bail. Prosecutors are seeking a 25-year prison sentence against her.
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Lima has so far refused to grant Chávez safe passage to Mexico, despite her being inside the embassy.
This is not the first clash between the two countries. In 2022, Peru expelled Mexico’s ambassador after Mexico gave asylum to Castillo’s wife and children following his arrest. Relations have remained tense ever since, with Peruvian officials accusing both Mexico’s current and former presidents of repeatedly interfering in domestic politics.
