Sheinbaum: Mexico’s Sovereignty, An Inalienable, Non-Negotiable Principle

ByMexico Solidarity

This article by Arturo Sánchez Jiménez originally appeared in the September 13, 2025 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

San Luis Potosí, SLP. President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo asserted this Saturday that Mexico’s sovereignty is an inalienable principle that should never be negotiated under any circumstances. Before thousands of attendees, the President emphasized that her government will maintain respectful dialogue with other nations, but with the conviction to always preserve the independence and freedom of the Mexican people.

As part of her national tour to present her first government report, Sheinbaum was at the San Luis Potosí Convention Center, where, in front of thousands of attendees, she called on citizens to defend the nation’s project of the Fourth Transformation, which she described as a model that seeks social justice, equity, and well-being for the majority. “The most important thing is to defend this nation’s project. May the past of corruption and privilege not return. May there continue to be governments that dedicate public resources to the people,” she stated.

The President contrasted her vision with that of previous governments, noting that during the neoliberal period—from 1982 to 2018—the government was run “for a few,” privileging elites and handing over the nation’s resources to private interests. “They rescued banks and highways that they themselves had privatized, always thinking of those at the top and never of the people,” she maintained. Instead, she emphasized that the governments of the Fourth Transformation “are governments of the people, with the people, and for the people.”

In her speech, Sheinbaum announced strategic infrastructure projects for San Luis Potosí and the region. These include the start of construction of the Querétaro–San Luis Potosí passenger train in 2026, as well as the Ciudad Valles–Tampico highway and the Tamazunchale–Huejutla–Pachuca highway. She also announced a comprehensive water project for the capital of San Luis Potosí, with the goal of sustainably meeting demand for this resource.

Ricardo Gallardo Cardona, current Green Party Governor of San Luis Potosí, was imprisoned in 2015 for money laundering and organized criminal activity.

The President announced that, with the tours conducted last week and this week, she will have visited 16 states in the country, in an unprecedented exercise in accountability that will conclude on October 5 with a massive event in Mexico City’s Zócalo. “We are inaugurating a new way of being accountable to the people: directly in every state of the Republic,” she emphasized.

Sheinbaum was accompanied by federal and local officials, as well as Governor Ricardo Gallardo Cardona, who was booed by a segment of the audience. Faced with this situation, the President pledged to support the state administration in regularizing payments to telesecundaria teachers facing salary delays. “We are going to support San Luis Potosí with resources to pay all teachers,” she announced, which drew applause from those in attendance.

Sheinbaum recalled that social programs such as pensions for seniors and people with disabilities, scholarships for students, and support for women, small-scale producers, and young workers currently benefit thousands of residents of San Luis Potosí. “These are constitutional rights that no one can take away from the people of Mexico,” she said.

This afternoon, the President continues her tour in Querétaro.

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