The three candidates running for president of Mexico met in the country’s capital March 11 to sign the National Commitment to Peace, an initiative proposed by the Catholic Church to address growing violence in the nation.
This initiative is a result of the National Dialogue for Peace, which took place in September 2023, organized by the Mexican Bishops’ Conference, the Society of Jesus, and the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious of Mexico.
Signing the commitment were Jorge Álvarez Máynez of the Citizen Movement party; Xóchitl Gálvez of the opposition National Action Party (PAN) and a candidate of the electoral coalition Broad Front for Mexico; and Claudia Sheinbaum, a member of the ruling Morena party (founded by current president Andrés Manuel López Obrador) who heads the electoral coalition Together We Make History.
The signing took place in the context of the upcoming June 2 elections in which Mexicans will elect the next president and new federal representatives and senators, as well as the governors of nine states, state legislators, and presidents of municipalities.
According to the National Electoral Institute, this election is “the largest that Mexico has ever had.”
The National Commitment to Peace consists of seven key actions aimed at improving security and strengthening the nation: the social fabric, security, justice, prisons, adolescents, governance, and human rights.