Crisis Chronology

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MEXICO

09/06/2023

MORENA nominates Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum as candidate for president in 6/24 election. She would be Mexico’s first female president. Women were granted the vote in 1953.

08/31/2023

Opposition coalition Broad Front for Mexico announces that Senator Xóchitl Gálvez Ruiz will run for president, a de facto nomination by the coalition. Gálvez Ruiz caucuses with the National Action Party and is a conservative and was a street-food salesgirl and then a tech entrepreneur.

06/05/2023

Delfina Gómez, of the ruling party, wins mayorship of Mexico state, further evidence of the PRI’s decline.

02/25/2023

Mexico says it will keep its ambassador in Peru despite Peru withdrawing its ambassador to Mexico to protest Mexico’s support for Castillo.

02/22/2023

Legislature overhauls election commission, cutting its staff, diminishing its autonomy, and limiting its ability to punish politicians for breaking electoral laws.

01/09/2023

Meeting of heads of US, Mexico, and Canada. The US will be concerned with the crisis on the US-Mexico border. Even in introductory remarks, Mexican President López Obrador criticizes lack of US support for development in Latin America. US President Biden rebuts the remarks.

12/20/2022

Mexico announces that it will give former Peru president Pedro Castillo asylum. Peru asks Mexican ambassador to leave.

11/14/2022

Protests against proposed election reform from the government, which would cut the number of legislators, slash public funding for political parties, and elect National Electoral Institute officials by popular vote. Critics argue that the changes would give the ruling MORENA Party a bigger slice of the legislative pie. AMLO is term-limited and cannot run in the 2024 election but would pick his successor.

10/06/2022

Finance minister Tatiana Clouthier resigns as policy clash with US and Canada becomes more intense. Mexico announced its intention to strengthen state control of energy, which US and Canadian companies say puts them at an unfair disadvantage.

09/09/2022

Legislature passes bill that allows the military to take command of the National Guard. AMLO says this is necessary to prevent corruption, but the opposition objects and plans to fight the move in court.

06/06/2022

Lopez Obrador refuses to join Summit of the Americas because US refuses to invite Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. He sends the foreign minister in his place.

04/10/2022

Voting on recall of López Obrador, the first in Mexico’s history, called by himself. His approval rating remains high, though lower than initially. Turnout must be greater than 40% for it to be binding. Estimates are that more than 90% of voters approved him continuing in office, but turnout is no more than 25%.

11/09/2021

Santiago Nieto, the head of Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF), the agency in charge of cracking down on money-laundering operations, resigns following a scandal related to his wedding in Guatemala. One passenger on the private plant taking guests there was carrying $35,000 in cash.

08/09/2021

Nicaragua recalls its ambassadors to Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico for “consultations,” after these countries recall their ambassadors following the anti-democratic behavior of the Nicaraguan government.

08/01/2021

Referendum on prosecuting former heads of state passes with 98% in favor, but since turnout was only 7%, the result is invalid.

07/12/2021

Drought and years of overconsumption likely to create severe water shortages.

06/07/2021

In midterm elections for legislature, ruling coalition, known as Morena, loses its majority in the lower house. The elections were preceded by a wave of violence, including more than 100 political assassinations. Seen as a referendum on AMLO, who has failed to rein in the crime and drug violence.

01/25/2021

Lopez Obrador says that he has contracted COVID-19.

11/17/2020

US drops charges against former defense minister Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda.

10/16/2020

A former defense minister is arrested on drug charges in Los Angeles.

08/21/2020

Obrador says his brother should be investigated.

08/20/2020

Videos of Obrador’s brother, Pio Lopez Obrador, receiving a bag of cash are shown on the internet from a member of Obrador’s administration, David Leon, who says it was contributions to the Morena Party.

05/26/2020

In the wake of the economic devastation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, car production has been partly shut down, but government still thinks it can reach its goal of adding 200,000 jobs this year, through increased budgets for government programs.

05/26/2020

05/14/2020

Record one-day rise in COVID-19 cases. Mexico has more than 42,000 cases and about 4500 deaths. While hospitals are full, government is still making plans to open economy.

05/13/2020

Mexico announces plan for reopening economy under new restrictions by 6/1. Mexico has about confirmed 38,000 cases and almost 2000 deaths.

04/20/2020

US, Canada, and Mexico agree to extend travel restrictions for another month due to COVID-19 pandemic.

04/10/2020

Mexico refuses to cut oil production to the extent agreed on by the OPEC+ group, led by Saudi Arabia and including Russia. Russia had demanded that other nations outside OPEC, including the US and Canada also cut production. The US has become the world’s largest oil producer.

03/24/2020

Mexico restricts gatherings of more than 100 people due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in effect until 4/30.

03/23/2020

Mexico institutes a program of mitigation efforts due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

03/20/2020

US and Mexico agree to close their mutual border.

02/28/2020

Mexico confirms its first case of COVID-19.

02/27/2020

Pemex posts substantial loss for 2019, nearly double that of previous year.

12/19/2019

US House approves USMCA trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, which have already signed the treaty.

12/19/2019

US House approves USMCA trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, which have already signed the treaty.

12/10/2019

Mexico ratifies revision of free-trade agreement, known as the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) that enforces more protection and better pay for workers, which will mainly affect Mexico. The US and Canada have yet to formally approve the agreement.

10/17/2019

The Sinaloa drug cartel abducts Ovidio Guzmán López, the son of El Chapo, Joaquin Guzmán, from police and release fifty-one other members of the cartel from prison, a shocking incident showing the power of the cartel.

10/17/2019

07/09/2019

Finance minister Carlos Urzúa, a respected economist, resigns, protesting Lopez Obrador’s decision made without basis in far, and, he says, conflicts of interest.

06/30/2019

Guadalajara suffers freak hail- and snowstorm that drops more than five feet of snow.

06/07/2019

US announces agreement with Mexico on immigration. The agreement is largely a continuation and increase in agreements Mexico had already made to increase National Guard presence on its border with Guatemal and to interview some asylum seekers in Mexico. Other aspects made public by US Pres Trump are inaccurate.

06/07/2019

06/06/2019

Government sends national guard to border with Guatemala to restrict immigration. Guatemala has also reportedly inquired about a US military presence on its northern border.

05/31/2019

Trump imposes 5% tariff on all goods from Mexico, beginning June 10 and increasing monthly until October until illegal immigration ends, although the specific standards for that are unclear.

01/15/2019

Witness in the trial of drug kingpin Joaquin Guzman says that El Chapo gave Pena Nieto a bribe of $100 million in 2012, when Pena Nieto was president-elect, to end the government manhunt of him. Officials deny the charge.

12/18/2018

US pledges nearly $6 billion to aid economic aid to Mexico about $5 billion to Honduras, Guatemela, and El Salvador.

12/11/2018

Government says it will invest $30 billion over five years in Central America to stem the flow of migrants north. There are no details about how AMLO will do this.

12/02/2018

Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador agree to reduce the number of people fleeing their countries by creating a fund to boost job creation and welfare.

11/30/2018

Migrants at the US-Mexican border in Tijuana wait to be processed for asylum. They must find shelter themselves. Mexican authorities have created what is called “La Lista,” a list that assigns priority order for making application for asylum. La Lista was created informally by the Mexicans themselves, when they discovered that the US, using a process called “metering,” only accepts a limited number of applications each day. La Lista is maintained by the migrants, and the persons in charge change as migrants come and go.

11/26/2018

Mexico says it will deport migrants who rushed the border.

11/25/2018

March of asylum seekers, largely from Central America, spins out of control when Mexican police block border crossing. US shuts down the border and fires tear gas at migrants.

11/24/2018

Mexico denies rumors that it has agreed with the US to hold asylum seekers at the border while their requests are being processed.

10/28/2018

Initial elation about AMLO’s presidency subsides somewhat as questions arise about how he will implement his policies and his dismissive reaction to these questions.

10/28/2018

In a referendum, voters reject a $14 billion airport project initiated by Pena Nieto and about one-third finished. Turnout was low, but AMLO vowed to obey the referendum, which he initiated.

10/01/2018

US and Canada agree to a new free trade agreement, to be called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The agreement helps US automakers by raising percentage of cars that must be made in the US and by regulating that workers must receive a minimum wage. The US also gets increased access to the Canadian dairy market. Canada keeps the grievance procedure that the US had fought.

10/01/2018

09/25/2018

Government takes control of entire police force of Acapulco, disarming them. The force is suspected of being controlled by the dug cartels.

08/27/2018

US and Mexico announce agreement on revisions to the North American Free Trade Treaty, without providing significant detail. The US says that Canada must conclude negotiations by 8/31 or the US will proceed with Mexico and sign it within ninety days. If it is not signed in that period, the new Mexico president, Lopez Obrador, would be able to change the terms of the agreement.

07/16/2018

US files trade disputes with the World Trade Organization against China, the EU, Canada, Mexico, and Turkey in response to tariffs imposed on US goods.

07/01/2018

Lopez Obrador elected president

Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador wins 53% of the vote, far ahead of any other candidate.

06/29/2018

With election on 7/1/18, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (known as AMLO), leader of the National Regeneration Movement (MORENO) holds a substantial lead in polls. A populist, Lopez Obrador is a centrist economically, though he advocates more support for women and the poor and especially a war on corruption through centralization of public spending.

06/24/2018

Ruling PRI using all its governmental and financial resources to overcome lead by opposition.

06/01/2018

Mexico imposes retaliatory tariffs on US.

05/31/2018

Government imposes tariffs on EU, Canada, and Mexico aluminum and steel imports.

01/22/2018

Chihuahua governor draws wide attention for a campaign to reduce corruption. Gov. Javier Corral recently arrested a senior government official for his part in a $13 million scheme to embezzle state funds for electoral campaigns.

11/27/2017

Meade resigns as finance minister and announces candidacy for president with the PRI.

11/24/2017

Mexico ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party considering technocrat Finance Minister Jose Antonio Meade, who is not a member of any party, as opposition candidate Manuel Lopez Obrador campaigns intensely.

11/14/2017

Eleven nations sign the Asia-Americas trade agreement now called the “Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership” (CPTPP). Canada bowed out at the last minute. Canada did not make its objections explicit, but they may relate to internal politics. The signatories are Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.