Politics
Andrés Manuel López Obrador is the new president of Mexico. He is the first clearly left-wing president of the Republic in the history of the country. As the quick count has got to about two thirds of the total, López Obrador, leader of the Morena party that he founded himself, he is regarded by the Mexican national election institute as the winner, with an absolute majority of 53 to 53.8%. Last night, the new president’s opponents already congratulated the winner. Ricardo Anaya, running for a coalition that brought PRD and PAN together, is said to be at about 22%, while José Antonio Meade, running for PRI, the current government party, is ranging between 15 and 16%. In his first speech, López Obrador used cautious and conciliatory words to speak of his country and of the international scenario. He actually spoke of a “tidy transition”, announcing a merciless battle against corruption and measures in support of the poorer classes. At the same time, he stated he wants to have good relationships with all the states of the world, that is, with the United States as well. Then, López Obrador promised “freedom of expression, entrepreneurial and religious freedom”, insisting that constitutional rights will always come first. Another big success was that of Claudia Sheinbaum, also from the Morena party, as governor for Mexico City (she’s said to be at about 46%). On the contrary, it will take a bit longer to learn about the result of the election in another eight Mexican States and in the many municipalities. The proportion of voters was approximately 63%. One of the first comments came from the general secretary of the Mexican Bishops Conference (Cem), mgr. Alfonso Gerardo Miranda Guardiola: “Congratulations to the Mexican population for their wonderful involvement in this historical day. We respect the citizens’ will expressed by the official results. Always keep praying and working for Mexico”.
