Left-Wing Populist López Obrador Wins Presidency In Mexico

Left-Wing Populist López Obrador Wins Presidency In Mexico

In a historic victory, leftist Andrés Manuel López Obrador won an overwhelming mandate on Sunday night to serve as Mexico’s next president by promising to ameliorate poverty and clean up corruption. Embodied in his humble lifestyle and rejection of luxury, those vows toppled a political system infamous for enriching its leadership at the expense of the poor. His new party’s defeat of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) signaled the first left-wing government in the country’s history.

Known by his nickname AMLO, the 64 year-old former mayor of Mexico City beat opponents from two parties that have ruled for almost a century, as they conceded in the wake of election results. A national sampling of ballots or “quick count” released by Mexico’s election agency forecast that López Obrador would win with at least 53 percent — well ahead of his main opponents, Ricardo Anaya and José Antonio Meade, who conceded and offered their congratulations.

Current president Enrique Peña Nieto, pictured above with U.S. president Donald Trump,  could not seek reelection because he is limited to one term under Mexican law.

Advertising

Start your day with National Memo Newsletter

Know first.

The opinions that matter. Delivered to your inbox every morning

North Carolina GOP's Extremist Nominees Excite Democratic Strategists

Michele Morrow

In 2020, Joe Biden narrowly missed capturing North Carolina’s 16 electoral votes, losing the state by a slim 1.4-percentage-point margin. But that was nearly four years ago. Before the Dobbs decision. Before Donald Trump’s 91 felony indictments. And before last week, when the state’s GOP voters nominated a guy who favorably quotes Hitler, has compared LGBTQ+ people to insects and larvae, and thinks a six-week abortion ban isn’t quite extreme enough for governor. Tar Heel State Republicans also nominated another extremist, Michele Morrow, for superintendent of the state’s schools.

Keep reading...Show less
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}