Government of the State of Michoacán

Silvano Aureoles (left, in white), governor of the state of Michoacán, Mexico, presenting his state's brigades against the COVID-19 pandemic.

MEXICO CITY — In Mexico, like in the United States, some governors are disagreeing with the federal government’s fiscal and health policies during the pandemic. And they are forming a coalition to fight back.

It’s nearly a dozen governors who call themselves the “Federalist Alliance.” Some of the represented states are connected to the U.S. either by the border, like Chihuahua, or trade, like Guanajuato. The list also includes, depending on the issue, the states of: Aguascalientes, Colima, Coahila, Durango, Jalisco, Michoacán, Nuevo León, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí and Tamulipas

Sergio Bárcena is a political science researcher at Mexico City’s Tec de Monterrey university. He explained the governors don’t belong to the Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s party (Morena), and are seeking more autonomy from the federal government in handling issues at the state level, as well as their budgets. 

“States receive less than 20 percent of the total federal income,” said Bárcena.

The group, Bárcena said, wants transparency on the resources handled by the federal administration, including the number of health workers assigned to each state during this pandemic.

Bárcena says the alliance wants the federal government to provide some kind of relief to those affected economically by the pandemic, called "Universal Security Plan," instead of spending on construction projects such as airports, refiniries and touristic trains. 

They also want the resignation of Mexico’s COVID-19 czar, Hugo López-Gatell, accusing him of failing in his task, not providing truthful information and not even wearing a face mask, just like the president.

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