Sheinbaum Places Another Padlock to Block Foreign Interference

During her daily morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum presented a constitutional reform proposal to prohibit Mexicans with dual citizenship from seeking elected offices—such as the Presidency, state governorships, and the Head of Government of Mexico City—as part of efforts to prevent foreign interference.

President Claudia Sheinbaum noted that the aim of this constitutional reform proposal is to ensure that the national interest is above the interest of any other state or nation.

The Legal Counsel to the Presidency of the Republic, Luisa María Alcalde Luján, explained that currently the Constitution establishes in Articles 82, 116, and 122 that “in order to hold the office of President of the Republic, or to serve as governor or Head of Government of Mexico City, one must be a Mexican citizen by birth.” While Article 36 establishes that “the holding of office and the performance of functions for which, pursuant to this Constitution, Mexican nationality by birth is required are reserved for those who possess that status and do not acquire another nationality.”

“This wording creates a gap that has led to confusion regarding interpretation. Therefore, to ensure that national interest and sovereignty guide those in power, it is proposed to include the case of individuals who ‘already hold another nationality’,” noted Alcalde Luján.

Therefore, the initiative proposes amending Article 82 to establish that, in addition to being Mexican by birth and meeting other constitutional requirements, those who seek to run for President must not hold any other nationality, or if they do, must renounce it before applying to register as candidates. This same provision will be extended through amendments to Articles 116 and 122 to those seeking the office of state governor or the Head of Government of Mexico City.

The initiative also stipulates that during their term in office, the official is prohibited from obtaining or seeking dual citizenship, declaring a foreign nationality to international governments, traveling with non-Mexican travel or ID documents, exercising political rights tied to another country, or requesting diplomatic protection from a foreign state.

The Legal Counsel to the Presidency of the Republic highlighted that once the constitutional reform is approved, amendments to the Nationality Law would be proposed to establish the procedure by which a person with dual nationality may renounce their foreign nationality before the appropriate authorities.

This follows the approval, in May of this year, of a constitutional reform establishing a new ground for the annulment of presidential elections due to foreign intervention or interference.

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