A Call for Political Coherence and Respect for Internal Guidelines
In the complex political board of Zacatecas, the aspiring governorship for Morena, José Narro Céspedes, has made an energetic public statement addressed to Senator Saúl Monreal. The core of his argument focuses on the requirement to abide by the criteria and guidelines established by the party, specifically the regulations designed to prevent nepotism. Narro Céspedes described it as incorrect for a single family to seek to reproduce archaic political formats associated with caciquismo, a practice that contradicts the principles of the Fourth Transformation.
During an interview, the federal deputy strongly criticized the possibility, aired by the senator himself, of seeking the candidacy through the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico (PVEM) or the Labour Party (PT) in case of not obtaining Morena’s nomination. This position, according to Narro Céspedes, reflects an opportunistic attitude that prioritizes personal interest over the collective project. He demanded that these political institutes maintain their loyalty to the Let’s Keep Making History coalition, an alliance from which, he stressed, they have obtained substantial benefits.
The Criticism of Opportunism and the Defense of the National Project
“We think that if he is a Morena activist, he should support the criteria, guidelines and policies that Morena approves,” Narro Céspedes stated forcefully. “What is not valid is that if it does not suit me, I will go somewhere else. We understand that we are not for a bone, for a space; we are for a project, it is the project of the second floor of the Fourth Transformation with President Claudia Sheinbaum.”
The legislator warned about the importance of cohesion: “He has to accept, and if he does not accept, I hope that the Green and the PT are loyal to the project, because it is not possible that when it suits me I go and when it doesn’t suit me I don’t go. I understand that they have benefited greatly from this alliance that has been built.” This statement underscores the expectation that allied parties will prioritize the stability of the ruling coalition over particular agreements with dissident figures.
Nepotism as a Synonym of Corruption
Narro Céspedes clarified that his intention is not to disqualify in advance Saúl Monreal, who is the younger brother of the current governor, David Monreal, and the coordinator of Morena’s federal deputies, Ricardo Monreal. However, he was emphatic in considering that it is incorrect for the same family group to constitute a power structure that evokes the old formats of chiefdom and dynastic control of public power.
This position directly aligns with the public warnings of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and President Claudia Sheinbaum, who have categorized nepotism as a form of corruption. “We understand that nepotism is also corruption because, in the end, you are using a family issue to be able to climb a political position,” the candidate reiterated, emphasizing the misuse of influences and family networks to access elected positions.
He recognized, pragmatically, that the family relationship gives Saúl Monreal a significant advantage. “He has a certain advantage because of his last name, because in some way the network of relationships that his family has, who are currently in the government, also use it for the purpose of being candidates,” he explained. This inherently unequal structural advantage is precisely what anti-nepotism rules seek to mitigate to ensure more equitable and transparent internal processes.
The immediate context of these statements dates back to last week, when Senator Monreal suggested that he could compete for the Zacatecas government backed by the PT or the PVEM. This occurred just one day after the national president of Morena, Luisa María Alcalde, declared that the senator should not compete precisely for reasons of nepotism, given that his brother, David Monreal, currently holds the governorship. Narro Céspedes insisted that Monreal must respect this criterion and refrain from participating in the process to succeed his brother in 2027.
In addition, he extended the same critical logic to another political figure: Senator Verónica Díaz, former sister-in-law of the Monreals, who is also aspiring to the governorship. His case, being also linked by previous family ties with the state power structure, would fall under the same assumption of undue advantage, according to the federal deputy’s perspective.
This episode reveals a fundamental tension within the fourth transformation: the struggle between the old traditional political practices, based on family and clientelistic loyalties, and the new paradigm that promotes meritocracy, transparency and the break with the vestiges of the old regime. Narro Céspedes’s position is not only a criticism of an opponent, but a defense of what is presented as the founding principles of the movement.
The outcome of this internal struggle in Zacatecas will be a crucial thermometer to measure the solidity of Morena’s ethical guidelines and its ability to impose discipline and coherence among its ranks, even in the face of powerful figures. Loyalty to the national project above individual or family interests is postulated as the cornerstone for the continuity of the transformation undertaken.
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