Outgoing Mexican president deepens country's militarization on last day in office

MEXICO CITY

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador held his last briefing on Monday, where amidst farewells he signed a last act that would adhere the National Guard to the Mexican army.

A day before leaving office, the outgoing president signed his last two presidential decrees, including a reform that promotes the rights of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples in the country, as well as the accession of the civilian-led National Guard to the military.

"We are signing here, in front of you, these reforms that seek to transform our reality and improve the lives of those who need it most," he said on his morning briefing.

The reform that he pushed for two years will finally put more than 120,000 troops in the National Guard under the command of the Ministry of National Defense.

Since its creation in 2019, one of the first orders of his government, the National Guard, had been promised a federal police force under civilian command.

However, since its creation, more than 80% of its troops have been made up of army and navy elements.

In addition, the president had made the military the protagonist of his public security strategy and responsible for recruiting and training new National Guard troops, turning the civilian aspect of the security agency disingenuous.

Although the Supreme Court had rejected the president efforts to militarize the National Guard, labeling his initiative unconstitutional, since the National Guard law specified that the force had to remain under civilian command, the general elections last June provided his party, Morena, with an overwhelming majority in Congress allowing it to fast-track the bill.

The reform has concerned citizens, non-profits, and experts given the repressive nature of the Mexican army, and they have warned about the possible risks associated with the militarization of the National Guard, including an increase in human rights violations, abuse of authority, and impunity.

For her part, incoming President Claudia Sheinbaum, his successor and political mentee, is set to be sworn into office on Tuesday.