Former President Ernesto Zedillo accused Morena of copying the worst of the PRI to build a hegemonic party and destroy democracy in Mexico. In response, President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that the country is experiencing its best moment of freedom and democracy. The exchange revived an old feud between the two leaders.
In an interview with journalist Maite Toja of the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, former President Ernesto Zedillo reiterated his concerns about the end of democracy in Mexico. He stated that 'the tragedy is that Morena, in its attempt to build a hegemonic party, has copied the worst of the PRI, and nothing of the good. Corruption guides its functioning.' Zedillo pointed out that this institutional deterioration began with Andrés Manuel López Obrador and continues under Claudia Sheinbaum, who 'contributed enthusiastically to López Obrador's constitutional reform to destroy the Judicial Power.'
The former president criticized the electoral reform as the one that will 'kill' conditions for balanced competition, arguing that 'new autocrats play with the rules of democracy to destroy it, once they have accessed power thanks to it.' Zedillo described the popular vote for the Judicial Power as a 'farce' of autocratic regimes with a fraudulent election, aimed at perpetuating impunity, similar to what happened in Venezuela.
During her morning conference on October 27, 2025, Sheinbaum responded without a prior question: 'Mexico is in the best moment of democracy and freedom. It is one of the most democratic countries in the world.' She denied the end of democracy and highlighted elections by popular vote for deputies, senators, president, and now judges, ministers, and magistrates. She added: 'Democracy is also reflected in freedoms, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, freedom to speak about the president, the former president. Freedom of expression to the maximum, never before in our country, whatever they say, had there been such freedom.'
Sheinbaum had stated months earlier that the feud with Zedillo was 'over,' but the former president's recent statements on the judicial election revived it.