Sinaloa governor Rubén Rocha Moya steps down again following party backlash over US indictment

Abrupt return and rapid retreat

Rubén Rocha Moya, the 77-year-old governor of Sinaloa, submitted a request for an indefinite leave of absence on Saturday evening, reversing his decision to reclaim power roughly 36 hours after returning. Rocha Moya had walked back into the Government Palace in Culiacán on Friday at 8:46 a.m., declaring that he intended to finish the term to which he was elected in 2021. He announced on social media that the Mexican Attorney General's Office found no evidence of criminal conduct against him, stating that he returned with his head held high. The unannounced return caught federal authorities and party leaders off guard, prompting immediate resistance from national officials who stated they had received no prior notice of his plans.

Sinaloa, the nation and the transformation movement come first.

United States indictment and cartel allegations

The political crisis began in late April 2026, when United States federal prosecutors in New York issued an indictment against Rocha Moya and nine other current and former Mexican officials, including an active senator. The charges alleged that the officials conspired with the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, facilitating drug trafficking into the United States in exchange for financial bribes and electoral support. Following United States extradition and arrest requests, Rocha Moya initially stepped aside on 1 May 2026, though he consistently dismissed the criminal charges as a politically motivated attack against the ruling movement.

Rebukes from federal and party leadership

Rocha Moya's unilateral reinstatement provoked swift criticism across the governing Morena party and from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. Sheinbaum learned of the governor's return through social media and published statements on Saturday admonishing public officials who place personal interests ahead of national welfare.

No personal interest can ever come before the interests of the people and the nation.

The Ministry of the Interior issued a public statement clarifying that the governor's return was strictly a personal decision. Ricardo Monreal, Morena's coordinator in the federal Chamber of Deputies and a longtime ally of Rocha Moya, publicly called on him to step down. A joint declaration from Morena state governors reaffirmed collective backing for Sheinbaum's administration, stating that individual political projects cannot disrupt ongoing judicial processes.

Legislative action and succession in Sinaloa

Facing complete isolation within his political alliance, Rocha Moya submitted a formal document to the Sinaloa State Congress seeking a temporary leave of absence for an indefinite period exceeding 30 days. The state legislature convened an extraordinary session on Sunday to read both his return correspondence and his second leave petition, formally accepting his departure from the executive mansion.

It is the best for Sinaloa.

State lawmaker Irma Moreno Ovalle of the Institutional Revolutionary Party confirmed that the legislature will vote on Monday to appoint an interim governor. The state assembly plans to select a replacement to lead the local government and maintain stability amid ongoing territorial conflicts between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.