Monday, July 02, 2018

AMLO in Mexico!

The reformist left-center candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador, commonly referred to by his initials AMLO, won a striking victory in the Mexican national election Sunday. And a woman from his Moreno party because the first female leader of Mexican City, a position previously held by AMLO and the source of much of his favorable reputation. This election victory wasn't some kind of fluke. It was a real political success for AMLO and his policies.

AFP reports (Leftist 'AMLO' sweeps to Mexican presidency 07/02/2018):
It is the first time in Mexico's modern history a candidate has won more than half the vote in a competitive election, and a resounding rejection of the two parties that have governed the country for nearly a century. ...

Lopez Obrador, 64, sought to downplay fears of radicalism, after critics branded him a "tropical Messiah" who would install Venezuela-style policies that could wreck Latin America's second-largest economy.

"Our new national project seeks an authentic democracy. We are not looking to construct a dictatorship, either open or hidden," he told cheering supporters, promising to safeguard freedoms, respect the private sector and work to reconcile a divided nation.
The endless War on Drugs that the US has promoted for decades, is key reasons for the grievances of the Mexican electorate:
Lopez Obrador successfully tapped voters' anger over a seemingly never-ending series of corruption scandals and horrific violence that left a record 25,000 murders last year -- an orgy of bloodshed fueled by the country's powerful drug cartels.

His coalition -- led by the Morena party he launched in 2014 -- appeared to be on track for a strong showing in state and congressional races as well, winning six of the day's nine governor's races, according to exit polls.

That included Mexico City, where a woman was elected for the first time ever, the scientist and environmentalist Claudia Sheinbaum.
John Ackerman (El día después La Journada 02.07.2018) notes that AMLO summarizes his political project as, "No mentir, no robar y no traicionar." ("Don't lie, don't steal and don't betray." And he writes:
No podemos dejar solo a López Obrador. Si bien la crítica al poder gubernamental es siempre esencial, también tenemos que tener claro que los gobiernos de izquierda se enfrentan a enormes retos con respecto a su relación con los poderes llamados "fácticos" que operan fuera de la institucionalidad democrática, como los oligarcas, los narcotraficantes y los grandes medios de comunicación.

La sociedad mexicana ha dado una enorme muestra de valentía, de fuerza y de dignidad el domingo, primero de julio. Celebremos la victoria. Nos la merecemos después de tantas décadas de luchas constantes por la justicia y la democracia, en las cuales han ofrendado sus vidas miles de héroes ­anónimos.

[We cannot abandon López Obrador. Certainly, criticism of governmental power is always essential, but we also have to be clear that governments of the left confront enormous challenges in respect to their relationship with the powers called "real" who operate outside of democratic instutitionalism, like the oligarchs, narcotrafficers, and the big communications media.

Mexican society has displayed an enormous show of courage, strength, and dignity on Sunday, the first of July. Let's celebrate the victory. We deserve it after so many decades of constant struggles for justice and democracy in which thousands of anonymous heroes have offered their lives.]

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