He returned Friday after 112 days of facing US-linked accusations, then asked to leave again hours later, right after a rebuke from Sheinbaum.

This article by the editorial staff of El Chamuco originally appeared in the August 22, 2026 edition of El Chamuco, a left-wing Mexican political magazine.

Rubén Rocha Moya has again requested leave as governor of Sinaloa, just about 34 hours after returning to the post following 112 days away from his duties.

The governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, requested a new temporary leave this Saturday, August 22, now indefinite and for more than 30 days, just a day after announcing his return to the state government.

Rocha Moya announced the decision through his social media, where he posted the document addressed to Manuel de Jesús Guerrero Verdugo, president of the Permanent Committee of the Congress of Sinaloa.

“Sinaloa, the nation, and the transformation movement are above everything,” the governor wrote as he circulated his request.

In the document, Rocha Moya states that he is requesting to step away from the governorship again “because he considers it appropriate,” and asks the state Congress to proceed in accordance with the Constitution of Sinaloa.

He Had Returned Just a Day Earlier

The decision represents a new twist in the political crisis surrounding the Sinaloa governor.

On Friday, August 21, Rocha Moya announced that he was resuming his duties as governor after 112 days of leave, a period during which he appeared before the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) over the accusations made against him from the United States.

Upon announcing his return, he asserted that Mexican authorities had not found the minimum elements to establish his participation in any criminal conduct, and affirmed that he was returning to the government of Sinaloa “with a clean conscience and head held high.”

However, his reinstatement drew political questioning and a distancing from both Morena and the federal government, which noted that the governor’s return had been a personal decision.

Sheinbaum Sent a Message Hours Earlier

The new leave request was also filed hours after President Claudia Sheinbaum posted a forceful message on social media.

Although the president did not mention Rocha Moya directly by name, she wrote:

No personal interest can ever be placed above the interests of the people and the Nation.

Claudia Sheinbaum

Sheinbaum added that public power must not become a pursuit of private interests, and criticized “the naked ambition of power for power’s sake.”

Hours after that statement, Rocha Moya made his new leave request public.

So far, the governor has not publicly stated that Sheinbaum’s message was the cause of his decision.

What Will Happen Now With Sinaloa’s Government?

The request must be processed by the Congress of the State of Sinaloa, because it entails an absence of more than 30 days.

Rocha based his request on Article 50, section VIII, of the state Constitution, and asked that the Legislature proceed in accordance with Article 58.

During the 112 days of his first leave, Yeraldine Bonilla Valverde was left in charge of the state Executive on an interim basis. With Rocha Moya’s return on Friday, Bonilla had resumed her duties as secretary general of government.

Now Congress will have to resolve the new request and once again define the leadership of the state government.

A Return That Lasted Just 34 Hours

The new move comes after one of the briefest and most controversial returns to the government of Sinaloa.

Rocha Moya spent more than three months out of office, announced on Friday that he was returning to finish his term and, some 34 hours later, again requested leave for an indefinite period.

The decision opens a new stage of political uncertainty in Sinaloa and leaves a central question: what led Rocha Moya to change his mind just hours after retaking power?

For now, the document submitted to Congress offers no substantive explanation. Rocha Moya merely stated that he considers it “appropriate” to step away from the post again.

The post Rocha Moya Backtracks: Requests Indefinite Leave Just 34 Hours After Returning to the Governorship appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.

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