MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday urged the U.S. government to stop funding groups in Mexico that are critical of his administration, calling the financial support a “shame” and a breach of Mexico’s sovereignty.
The rebuke comes at a time of friction between the United States and Mexico over a reform proposed by Lopez Obrador to strengthen state control of the power market, which the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has warned could limit investment in renewable energy.
Lopez Obrador also sent a diplomatic note to the U.S. government in May expressing concerns over U.S. funding for political groups in Mexico.
On Monday he renewed his calls for the United States to curb funding against what he described as opposition groups, without stating any by name.
“We are asking the U.S. government to stop funding groups that openly act as opponents of governments … in our case, of a legally and legitimately constituted government,” he told his morning news conference.
“It is a shame for any government in the world to get involved in the internal life of another country … plus, handing over money.”
Lopez Obrador has frequently accused Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity (MCCI), a group that investigates political corruption, of seeking to undermine his government. The group has received some funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development.
There was no immediate response from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon and Raul Cortes; Editing by Howard Goller)
