DR ‹ › An influential delegation of Mexican lawmakers, led by Coordinator of Political Affairs in the Chamber of Deputies and Secretary General of the Autonomous Confederation of Workers and Employees of Mexico (CATEM) Pedro Haces Barba, is currently on an official visit to Morocco. In Rabat, Haces Barba met with Mohamed Ould Errachid, President of the Chamber of Advisors, and Rachid Talbi Alami, President of the Chamber of Representatives. In his capacity as a trade union leader, he also held talks with Miloudi Moukharik, Secretary General of the Moroccan Labor Union (UMT). These meetings come just six days after a pro-Polisario gathering was held at the Mexican Senate, attended by Laura Itzel Castillo Juárez, President of the upper house. During the event, Mohamed Salem Abdessamad, the Polisario's representative in Mexico, called on senators to renew their support for the movement. Mexico continues to recognize the self-proclaimed «Sahrawi Republic», and Abdessamad accused Morocco of «human rights violations» in Western Sahara. Rabat's response was swift. On Friday in Mexico City, Amina Bouayach, President of Morocco's National Human Rights Council (CNDH), highlighted the Kingdom's experience in promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms. She spoke at the headquarters of Mexico's Supreme Court during the presentation of a collective work titled Human Rights: Contemporary Challenges and Perspectives in a Globalized World. These parallel diplomatic initiatives in Mexico and Rabat illustrate the long-running battle for influence between Morocco and the Polisario on the Mexican political scene. While Rabat has focused its outreach on the Chamber of Deputies, the Polisario has concentrated its efforts on the Senate. In February 2025, Rachid Talbi Alami was invited to address the lower house of the Mexican Parliament, where he defended Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara. Partisan diplomacy also plays a significant role in this dynamic. Last March, a meeting was held in Mexico between Driss Lachgar, First Secretary of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP), and Alejandro Moreno, President of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), a historic Mexican political party and member of the Socialist International.
