Lopez Obrador is declared “persona non grata” in Peru

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is the latest leftist leader to be declared persona non grata in Peru, amid a conservative tilt in the Andean nation.

AMLO, as the president is known, was shunned over his support of ousted Peruvian President Pedro Castillo.

Peru’s congress had already declared Gustavo Petro of Colombia and Bolivian former president Evo Morales as persona non grata for similar reasons.

Peru has grown increasingly isolated this year in a region dominated by leftist governments. Castillo was elected as the candidate for a socialist party, before being replaced by vice-president Dina Boluarte in December.

But since assuming the presidency, Boluarte has appointed conservatives to her cabinet and received the backing of Castillo’s conservative opponents in congress.

That has created rifts with Castillo’s international allies, who have called her an illegitimate president. Earlier this year Boluarte recalled Peru’s ambassadors to Colombia and Mexico over the dispute.

Sixty-five of 107 lawmakers backed the proposal.

Castillo was impeached and arrested in December after attempting to illegally dissolve congress. Castillo’s wife is currently in Mexico, having been granted political asylum by AMLO.

“For me, it even gives me some sense of pride that these people are declaring me persona non grata,” AMLO said this week, ahead of the vote.

–With assistance from Leda Alvim.

(Updates with AMLO’s comments in final paragraph. An earlier version of this story was corrected to include congress’ amended vote tally in the 7th paragraph.)

TYT Newsroom