The transition of power and the appointments for the new cabinet that Claudia Sheinbaum will lead seem to be moving forward without any problems. But political tranquility is based on two pillars, the Government and the party. A flood of votes like the one obtained by Morena in the elections of June 2 reassures the militancy and those who long for positions, because there is almost enough for everyone, which does not prevent some storm like the one caused these days by the plurinominal deputyship obtained by the actor Sergio Mayer, who has not been to the liking of many in Morena. The protests have been heard loud and clear, however, it seems an anecdote compared to the 254 deputies that the ruling party will seat in San Lázaro, not to mention the Senate, majorities that predict calm also among the Morena militancy, which is called to renew the leadership of its positions in October.
The government continuity assured at the polls, however, has a second pending issue, the new governance of the party, once López Obrador, the undisputed leader until now, retires to his country house in Palenque, far away, he has said, from everything that has to do with politics. There has been no shortage of voices that have predicted the decomposition of Morena when it loses the tutelage exercised by the president, however, it seems that the serenity that presides over Claudia Sheinbaum’s decisions, or perhaps good advice, will prevent sabre rattling in October when the new leadership of Morena is voted on. The departure of Mario Delgado is a key pillar, now that the party president has been named future Secretary of Education, the same portfolio he held years ago in Mexico City. One of the big questions is who will replace him and the most stubborn predictions indicate that the president likes it to be a woman. Many speak of the current Secretary of the Interior, Luisa María Alcalde Luján, with enormous party pedigree. Her mother, Bertha Luján, is a respected figure in Morena, where she served as president of the National Council between 2015 and 2022 and before that was the party’s general secretary. And she herself, Luisa María, is a loyal figure to López Obrador. It is time for women and it will not be surprising if this trend also reaches the president’s young and successful party. Although she would not be the first: Yeidckol Polevnsky held the reins between 2017 and 2020.
Along with Luisa María Alcalde, Citlalli Hernández, now general secretary, and Alfonso Ramírez Cuéllar, who replaced Polevnsky in 2020 and preceded the current one, Mario Delgado, whose arrival to power in the party was preceded by a real war between the militants, with physical attacks and the intervention of the INE to conduct this transfer, are also in the running. It does not seem that on this occasion his departure predicts new warmongering. When that happens, the families will be calm. In Morena, the statutes do not allow the official registration of internal currents, which López Obrador does not like, who considers that these families within the party destroyed the PRD, in which he militated before founding Morena. But, statutorily or not, the parties have their internal leaders, especially when the selection of candidates for the presidency divided the militants into four parts, although unequal. Some supported the poster of Adán Augusto López, others that of Ricardo Monreal, and among the supporters of Marcelo Ebrard and Claudia Sheinbaum the greatest tearing apart of the militancy occurred. With or without currents, the cold air seeps into the party buildings. The steps that Sheinbaum is taking, however, seem warm, for now. Ebrard has been well placed as the next Secretary of Economy. Monreal and Adán Augusto have received two of the promised high positions, coordinator of the deputies and the Morena senators, respectively. The peace designed by López Obrador so that the process of choosing the presidential candidate would not result in anger or fractures among the losers is being fulfilled to the letter.
Political sources consulted for this article interpret that Sheinbaum has surrounded herself with her intimate adversaries to maintain calm also in the party, where there only seems to be one family, the so-called “pures,” that is, the die-hard Morena supporters. She would belong to that same family, but she has chosen to give a relevant role to the others in order to calm any source of disagreement. Among the pure ones would be Martí Batres, current head of Government of Mexico City, Mayors Luján, Rafael Barajas, el Fisgón, Pedro de Miguel, perhaps Citlalli Hernández, the current general secretary of the party or Clara Brugada, elected head of Government of the capital, although she comes from the PRD, the same as López Obrador. There are positions in the expanded Cabinet, that is, undersecretaries and other positions, that can still come to please those who are dissatisfied. Those who are not pure are already at peace, say the sources.
But the noise is heard among the Morena supporters. The matter of Sergio Mayer, who was selected to have a plurinominal seat, has not gone down well. The militants have realized that this man, who was for a time in the ranks of Morena and then went out with a fuss of criticism and support for the Pink Tide of the adversaries, was returning to the House. There is “anger in the bases,” says a person consulted who wishes to remain anonymous. “They are hitting the Snooper hard,” he affirms. It is true. President López Obrador came out to ask for peace in his ranks. And he did not want to speak about the Snooper because there is no case, he is his friend, he said, good people. “John Ackerman did not like it, he understands that this position could be his,” affirms the source. Citlalli Hernández does not like Mayer either, and without any kind of hesitation has affirmed that this maneuver was entirely Mario Delgado’s, that they should ask him for explanations, not her, she said in a radio interview. Gerardo Fernández Noroña, also unhappy with the lack of a position for him, who came third in the internal polls for presidential candidate, is making noise with the Mayer affair. Noroña is from the PT, but the noise is still felt.
In politics, images are gestures. In recent days, Sheinbaum’s public appearances have been eloquent. At the big meetings, her former internal adversaries, Monreal, Adán Augusto and Ebrard, were not missing. Also in the photo were Gerardo Fernández Noroña (from the PT) or Manuel Velasco (from the Verde). In the presidium, the president-elect of El Fisgón, Pedro Miguel, Citlalli Hernández or Mario Delgado were surrounded, on some occasions. Also Ignacio Mier, current head of the Morena caucus of deputies, or Arturo Zaldívar, legal advisor. With the appointed legal advisor, Ernestina Godoy, or the recently appointed Secretary of Security, Omar García Harfuch, the praetorian guard is almost complete. The good understanding between all predicts times of calm and the political support on which the president will rely when she governs. Sheinbaum is not López Obrador, neither in her charisma nor in the adoration of the militancy; she was called to dialogue and delegate and that is what she is doing, according to a source from the party.
A key figure in the president’s mandate, his spokesman, Jesús Ramírez, is also one of the “pures.” But his name does not appear in any pool. His relationship with Sheinbaum is not the best, they say. Some blame him for the fall of García Harfuch from the Mexico City cartel, breaking the effort attributed to Sheinbaum, who had to give in in favor of Clara Brugada, for example. They also say that Ramírez boycotted Caty Monreal, daughter of Ricardo, who lost the most important mayor’s office in the capital, which was left in the hands of the PAN. Ramírez is said to be at odds with Adán Augusto, since he assumed the Ministry of the Interior with López Obrador, and with Monreal. Monreal deserves a separate chapter. Her political dealings, almost self-boycott, they say, in Mexico City, put Sandra Cuevas in the Cuauhtémoc mayor’s office, the so-called capital of the capital, in the last term, a lost position for the Morena supporters, and now that her daughter was running, she has not been able to win it either, one of the great disappointments of the party. Despite this, Sheinbaum has given her a good position in the Chamber of Deputies, in what many want to see that purchase of party loyalty and the clear distancing of the president-elect from Ramírez.
Whether all these movements achieve a smooth transfer of power and the renewal of the Morena leadership without fights or surprises remains to be seen, although there is nothing like a rain of votes to calm everyone’s spirits. When four years have passed, to set a date, perhaps the hunger games will begin again, as some call it. For now in Morena, despite some discrepancies, such as the presence of Sergio Mayer, calm is heard more than noise.
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