Peru’s Congress voted decisively on Thursday to declare Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum persona non grata (PNG), marking a severe escalation in the diplomatic breakdown between the two Latin American nations.
The move comes in direct response to Mexico’s decision to grant political asylum to former Peruvian Prime Minister Betssy Chavez, who is currently facing trial for allegedly aiding a 2022 coup attempt.
Tensions, which have been strained for years, boiled over recently after Mexico granted asylum to Chavez earlier this week, prompting Peru to sever formal diplomatic relations. Chavez served as Prime Minister under then-President Pedro Castillo, who was ousted in December 2022 after attempting to dissolve Congress following a months-long political standoff.
The PNG declaration against President Sheinbaum passed in the Peruvian Congress with a vote of 63 to 33. The legislative body recently also removed Castillo’s successor, Dina Boluarte, underscoring the deep political instability in Lima.
Fernando Rospigliosi, the right-wing acting Congress president, asserted that Mexico’s action constituted a clear violation of sovereignty. He stated that “it has been clearly established” that Sheinbaum interfered in Peru’s affair, “not only in words” but also by granting Chavez asylum.
However, the measure drew immediate criticism from within the Peruvian legislature. Socialist lawmaker Jaime Quito criticized the move, saying “once again, they are making an international embarrassment by breaking relations with our sister country Mexico.”
Following the formal breakdown in relations, interim Peruvian president Jose Jeri announced that Mexico’s top diplomat in Peru had been given a “strict deadline to leave.”
The diplomatic rift originated with the arrest and ousting of Castillo, a former rural schoolteacher, who was arrested and charged with rebellion and abuse of authority in December 2022 while on his way to the Mexican embassy in Lima to request asylum. Chavez was charged alongside him, and the pair went on trial in March.
While Castillo has remained in preventive custody since his impeachment, Chavez was released on bail before seeking refuge. She has since taken up asylum at the Mexican ambassador’s residence as Peru’s Foreign Ministry evaluates a request for safe passage to Mexico.
Prosecutors had sought a 25-year term for Chavez for allegedly participating in Castillo’s plan, and they have sought a 34-year sentence for Castillo.
