Mexico's ruling morena party appoints Ariadna Montiel as new leader

MEXICO CITY, May 3 – Mexico’s ruling morena party on Sunday named Ariadna Montiel Reyes as its new party president after her predecessor Luisa Maria Alcalde stepped down from the role to join the administration of President Claudia Sheinbaum as the cabinet’s legal advisor.

Montiel was serving as minister of welfare under President Sheinbaum, a role she also held under the previous president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

The new leader of Sheinbaum’s party said her leadership will maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward corruption.

“If we are certain that someone has committed an act of corruption, even if they won the (party’s) primaries, they will not be candidates,” Montiel said after assuming the party’s presidency.

“This leadership will not tolerate corruption in any morena government,” she added.

Montiel takes over the party presidency just days after the morena governor of Mexico’s Sinaloa state, Ruben Rocha, temporarily stepped down from his role after being accused by the United States of aiding one of the country’s most powerful drug cartels.

Rocha has denied any wrongdoing and sidelined himself as a local investigation into the charges proceeds. He is also a long-time ally of Sheinbaum’s predecessor and mentor, former President Lopez Obrador.

Alongside Rocha, the indictment also charged a slew of other current and former Mexican officials for allegedly conspiring with the Sinaloa Cartel to import massive quantities of narcotics into the U.S.

Rocha’s decision to step aside came as Washington has been exerting increasing pressure on Mexico to step up efforts to root out corruption and official collusion with organized crime.

Montiel called on members of Congress to support Sheinbaum “today more than ever.” REUTERS