Six on Mexico: López Obrador, an Atypical Leftist, Wins Mexico Presidency in Landslide; Is Mexico City Ready to Listen to It
philip panaritis
"Riding a wave of populist anger fueled by rampant corruption and violence, the leftist Andrés Manuel López Obrador was elected president of Mexico on Sunday, in a landslide victory that upended the nation’s political establishment and handed him a sweeping mandate to reshape the country.
Mr. López Obrador’s victory puts a leftist leader at the helm of Latin America’s second-largest economy for the first time in decades, a prospect that has filled millions of Mexicans with hope — and the nation’s elites with trepidation."
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“This election really began to cease being political a few months ago and became emotional," Mexican essayist Emiliano Monge told the New Yorker. "It is more than anything a referendum against corruption, in which, as much by right as by cleverness, Amlo has presented himself as the only alternative. And in reality he is.”
Now, López Obrador, who has a long political career of championing the plight of the poor, sees himself on the precipice of a new revolution, especially if his party, the National Regeneration Movement, also captures decisive control of Congress. "Mexico was ruled by one party from 1929 to 2000, and its presidents since then have come from one of two mainstream parties, the PRI and the [conservative] PAN," wrote my Post colleagues. "This year, a man from outside the country’s conventional political orbit is not only in close contention — he’s leading by a wide margin."
"On the campaign trail [López Obrador] says that a 'fourth transformation' of Mexico is coming, after independence in 1821, a civil war and liberal reforms in the 1850s and 1860s, and a revolution that began in 1910," noted the Economist. "The change will be 'as profound' as the revolution, but 'without violence,' he promises. He vows to overthrow the 'mafia of power,' that he believes holds back Mexico."
"Until this year. The United States failed to qualify for the World Cup after a humiliating defeat in Trinidad and Tobago before 1,500 fans in the last qualifying game. Mexico, on the other hand, not only qualified but is playing beyond expectations.
The team’s success is registering in Mexico, of course — celebrations were recorded on seismology meters — but also in every Mexican-American community in the United States.
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