Mexicans rally to ‘protect democracy’ ahead of elections

Tens of thousands of demonstrators cloaked in pink marched through cities in Mexico and abroad on Sunday in what they called a “march for democracy” targeting the country’s governing party ahead of the June 2 general elections.

The demonstrations called by Mexico’s opposition parties advocated for free and fair elections in the Latin American nation and railed against corruption the same day presidential frontrunner Claudia Sheinbaum registered as a candidate for the governing party Morena.

Approximately 90,000 people turned out to rail against the leader, according to government figures. However, organisers said 700,000 people turned out in Mexico City. Al Jazeera could not independently verify the size of the protests.

Sheinbaum is largely seen as a continuation candidate of Mexico’s populist leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. He is adored by many voters, who say he bucked the country’s elite parties from power in 2018 and represents the working class.

But the 70-year-old president has also been accused of making moves that endanger the country’s democracy. Last year, he slashed funding for the country’s electoral agency, the National Electoral Institute (INE), and weakened oversight of campaign spending, something INE’s head said could “wind up poisoning democracy itself”. The agency’s colour, pink, has been used as a symbol by demonstrators.