Breathe
By Sandra Romandía
We woke up one day and everything had changed. The city was the same, people went on with their routine, the news spoke of stability. But something was missing. Something so essential that many didn't even notice it until it was too late.
This is how Margaret Atwood narrated it in The Handmaid's Tale: one day, the women discover that their bank accounts are blocked, that they cannot work, that their freedom evaporated in the blink of an eye. But it didn't happen overnight. It was a silent process, disguised as political decisions that seemed harmless until they built a totalitarian regime.
Mexico is not Gilead, but Morena is making merits.
The blows to democracy do not come with a bang, but with legal modifications, administrative decrees, changes in the structures of power that seem technical, but which remove key pieces of the system until it is unrecognizable. The autonomous bodies were annihilated, the Judicial Power was demolished and now they are going after the last bastion that guarantees free elections: the state electoral tribunals.
And while that is happening, the realignment of power within Morena is beginning to show signs that Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico's first female president, does not have the absolute control that some believed.
In politics, gestures matter as much as decisions. And the gesture of Morena's parliamentary leaders in the Zócalo last Sunday made it clear who really feels at the center of power. As Claudia Sheinbaum greeted the guests in the front row, behind her, Adán Augusto López, Ricardo Monreal, Luisa Alcalde, Manuel Velasco and, in the center of the photo, Andrés Manuel López Beltrán, the son of the former president, posed for the picture of the moment. They did not even notice the president passing behind them. They did not look at her, they did not greet her. When they wanted to, it was too late. She kept walking. The scene was so obvious that one of the protagonists, Adán Augusto, had to publicly apologize, justifying that in "the excitement of the moment" they did not notice Sheinbaum's arrival.
But when in Mexico's recent history has a president ever been ignored by his own party? Never. Least of all by the son of the former president who now, as Morena's Secretary of Organization, accumulates more and more power.
Morena has built its political hegemony with a clear strategy: dismantle counterweights, ensure that there are no impartial arbitrators and, above all, consolidate territorial control. In the last election, it was not only the presidency and Congress that were at stake. The states were also at stake. Morena has managed to place 23 governors and now seeks to guarantee that the renewal of state powers does not represent an obstacle. It is not only about political influence, but also about financial control. Because whoever manages the money of the states, manages campaigns, structures and loyalties.
The party in power understood that democracy is not destroyed with a single coup, but with a series of reforms that seem isolated, but that together guarantee absolute domination. First, the elimination of autonomous bodies. Then, the annihilation of the Judiciary. Now, the appointment of 56 local electoral magistrates in 30 states. With them, they will be able to validate candidacies, challenges and results at their convenience.
Democracy is a car that is still moving, but the parts are being changed without the driver noticing it. Today it is the courts, tomorrow it will be the INE, then the rules of electoral competition. When the people want to react, the vehicle will no longer serve any purpose other than to carry the same old group in the driver's seat.
Nietzsche said that the problem with absolute power is that those who hold it end up convincing themselves that they deserve it. That its permanence is a historical necessity, that its exit is unthinkable. But the real danger is not what those who govern think. The real danger is the passivity of the governed.
Is no one concerned that a son of an ex-president is already the central figure of the party in power?Is no one worried that Morena governors control not only federal money, but also the resources of the states to perpetuate their hegemony? Or will we continue to wake up every day, thinking that everything remains the same, until one day we discover that it is too late?
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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