Due to King Felipe VI’s exclusion from the invitation list, Spain declared on Tuesday that it will not attend the inauguration of Claudia Sheinbaum as the next president of Mexico.
Madrid referred to the king’s October 1st omission from the ceremony as “unacceptable.”
“For this reason, the Spanish government has decided not to participate in the inauguration at any level,” the Spanish foreign ministry said in a statement.
Following her left-wing ruling party’s resounding victory in the June election, Sheinbaum will become Mexico’s first female president. The guest list for her inauguration was released a week ago.
The list, which also includes US First Lady Jill Biden and other regional socialist leaders, did not include King Felipe VI.
Although Mexico and Spain have a long history and strong commercial ties, ties between the Latin American country and its former colonial overlord have soured since Sheinbaum’s friend, outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, assumed office in 2018.
His desire for an apology from Madrid about the events of the five-century Spanish conquest has been turned down.
