President Claudia Sheinbaum responded on Friday to a group of intellectuals and to former president Ernesto Zedillo, according to Sin Embargo. The outlet reported that she accused her critics of longing for an older style of democracy in which the public had less say.
The remarks were covered by several Mexican outlets. La Jornada reported that Sheinbaum said right-leaning intellectuals are uncomfortable with the people holding power. Vanguardia reported that she accused commentators Héctor Aguilar Camín, Enrique Krauze and Jorge Castañeda of having served the administrations of former presidents Carlos Salinas de Gortari, Felipe Calderón and Enrique Peña Nieto.
Sin Embargo framed the dispute around what it described as nostalgia for a democracy of "apapacho," a Mexican term for a coddling embrace. La Jornada used the word "chayote," a slang term for political patronage, in its own headline on the president's comments.
The exchange marks another public clash between Sheinbaum and prominent figures who have criticized her government. The reporting does not detail the specific arguments made by the intellectuals or by Zedillo, nor the full text of the president's remarks.
Watch for further statements from the intellectuals named and from Zedillo's office, and for whether the dispute carries into the president's coming public appearances.
