US irks Mexico president with electoral reform remarks

MEXICO CITY: Mexico´s president on Tuesday accused the United States of meddling in his country´s internal affairs, dismissing its call for independent electoral institutions following mass protests over a controversial new law.

Lopez Obrador hit back a day after US State Department spokesman Ned Price said that Washington “supports independent, well-resourced electoral institutions that strengthen democratic processes and the rule of law.” “As is their bad habit, (the United States) always interfere in matters that don´t concern them,” President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters.

“There´s currently more democracy in Mexico than in the United States,” he added. Price´s remarks came after tens of thousands of Mexicans protested on Sunday against changes championed by Lopez Obrador that critics see as an attack on democracy ahead of 2024 presidential polls.