In the midst of a debate about the meaning of democracy, President Sheinbaum and her allies in Congress have been accused of seeking to establish a dictatorship according to expert Yuval Noah Harari. For populists, courts only protect judges and the media spread fake news in their favor, deviating from the true democratic principle.
According to Harari, populists believe that only they represent the people and that any authority not derived from this will is undemocratic. Consequently, the idea of a democratic conversation based on diverse voices is dismissed. Even for monarchs, the law is the law, as Harari recalled referring to the historical declaration that the king has no prerogatives beyond what the law grants.
Morena supporters in Mexico, who preach acting on behalf of the majority and democracy, align themselves with the populist script that undermines freedoms and the rule of law. Harari describes in his book "Nexus" how the dictatorship of the majority can erode democracy by attacking its self-correcting mechanisms, such as courts and media, and seeking to control elections and information.
By proclaiming themselves as the only legitimate voice of the people, populists seek to monopolize not only political authority but also other realms such as the media and universities. The common strategy is to strip courts of power, fill them with followers, and dominate information with propaganda. For Harari, populism represents a lethal threat to democracy by excluding those who do not share its vision and denying them the right to be considered part of the people.
The expert points out that no group, not even the majority, has the right to exclude others from the identity of the people. In a recent case in the United Kingdom, it was seen how the Supreme Court rejected the proposal to close Parliament for five weeks, demonstrating the importance of judicial independence in defending democracy.
