Mexico sends finance minister to Peru to help embattled Castillo

"The president asked us for support," Lopez Obrador told his regular daily news conference, arguing that Castillo has faced a campaign against him in the media which reflected resistance to a leftist leader of humble origins. Mexican Finance Minister Rogelio Ramirez de la O went to Peru accompanied by a foreign ministry official who leads support programs for foreign countries, and a senior official from Mexico's welfare ministry, Lopez Obrador said.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday he sent his finance minister to Peru to help President Pedro Castillo as the Peruvian leader wrestles with protests and an impeachment attempt.

Castillo last week fended off a motion in Congress to impeach him https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/perus-castillo-braces-impeachment-vote-protests-brew-2021-12-07, only months into his administration. "The president asked us for support," Lopez Obrador told his regular daily news conference, arguing that Castillo has faced a campaign against him in the media which reflected resistance to a leftist leader of humble origins.

Mexican Finance Minister Rogelio Ramirez de la O went to Peru accompanied by a foreign ministry official who leads support programs for foreign countries, and a senior official from Mexico's welfare ministry, Lopez Obrador said. Lopez Obrador, a fellow leftist, said that Ramirez de la O's visit was aimed at supporting Castillo's government "in whatever way we can" during a "difficult situation." He did not provide details of what Mexico's support amounted to.

The impeachment push in Peru was backed by right-wing lawmaker and defeated presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, and came as Castillo faced corruption allegations and widespread mining protests. Lopez Obrador identified entrenched conservative elites as the driving force behind resistance to Castillo, echoing arguments he has made against his own critics in Mexico.

Mexico's president has repeatedly stated his belief in the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of other countries, yet critics say he has departed from that position with some other left-wing leaders in Latin America. Mexico backed Bolivia's Evo Morales after the country's 2019 disputed presidential election, offering him asylum in Mexico after he stood down under pressure from the military.

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