Peru’s Congress has voted to declare Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum persona non grata, intensifying a diplomatic feud between the two nations.
The 63-33 vote came just days after Peru severed diplomatic ties with Mexico, following Mexico’s decision to grant asylum to former Peruvian Prime Minister Betssy Chávez, who faces charges linked to a 2022 coup attempt.
Chávez, who denies the accusations, is currently taking refuge in the Mexican embassy in Lima. Mexico’s government has defended its move, saying it acted “in accordance with international law” and rejected Peru’s description of the asylum as an “unfriendly act.”
During the heated parliamentary session, Peruvian legislators went further, accusing Sheinbaum of having ties to drug trafficking — an allegation they did not substantiate.
The move marks a new low in relations between the Latin American nations, which have clashed repeatedly since the 2022 ousting of former President Pedro Castillo. Chávez, a close ally of Castillo, was imprisoned in June 2023 but later released on bail. Prosecutors are seeking a 25-year sentence against her.
Peruvian Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela said experts are reviewing the 1954 Caracas Convention on diplomatic asylum, the treaty Mexico cited to justify its decision. Earlier in the week, de Zela accused Mexico of “portraying the authors of the coup attempt as victims,” insisting that “Peruvians live and want to continue living in democracy.”
Peru has also accused Mexico’s current and former leaders of “repeated interference” in its domestic affairs. In 2022, Lima expelled Mexico’s ambassador after the country granted asylum to Castillo’s wife and children.
Last year, Peru’s Foreign Relations Committee had already proposed declaring Sheinbaum unwelcome for her defense of Castillo and her failure to condemn his attempted coup.