Overview
- Rubén Rocha Moya asked for an indefinite leave roughly 34 hours after briefly resuming the governorship, and the Diputación Permanente of the Congress of Sinaloa approved the leave unanimously and called an extraordinary session to appoint an interim.
- The legislature’s move starts a fast process for naming and swearing in an interim governor, with Yeraldine Bonilla Valverde among the names reported to be under consideration by the Commission of Constitutional Points and Governance.
- President Claudia Sheinbaum publicly distanced the federal government from Rocha’s short return, said she learned of it on social media, called the new leave “the best for Sinaloa,” and denied ordering Rocha to step down.
- Opposition leaders, led by the PAN, said a license does not resolve the allegations and renewed calls for institutional measures such as juicio político and the disappearance of powers in Sinaloa.
- The political crisis stems from April U.S. Department of Justice accusations linking ten current or former Sinaloa officials to the Sinaloa Cartel, and Mexican authorities including the FGR, UIF and SRE continue investigations and financial or diplomatic actions tied to those accusations.