Mexico's President-elect López Obrador achieves lifelong goal
By Liu Xuxia
People's Daily app
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Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador won Mexico's presidential election in landslide vicitory Sunday. (Photo: AP)

Mexico City (People's Daily) - The Andrés Manuel López Obrador, often referred to as AMLO, of the National Regeneration Movement (Morena) won Mexico’s presidential election in a landslide victory July 1, according to numbers from a quick count at the National Electoral Institute of Mexico. 

Obrador was born in Tepetitán, Tabasco, November 13, 1953.  He graduated from the National Autonomous University of Mexico City with a degree in Political Science.

Mexico City achievements

From 2000 to 2005, Obrador was the mayor of Mexico City. He assumed the leadership of the Federal District on December 5, 2000, where he remained for six years. In terms of safety and security, the homicides rate in the Federal District per 100,000 inhabitants decreased from 9.01 percent in 2001 to 7.77 percent in 2005. In 2000, there were 807 reported homicides, five years later the number had fallen to 698. 

During his tenure, the kidnapping rate remained stable, avoiding accelerated growth registered previously, for every 100,000it dropped from 1.65 percent in 2001 to 1.15 percent in 2005. Economically, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the Federal District grew from 1.17 trillion pesos in 2001, to 1.61 trillion pesos in 2005. 

The standard of living saw the poverty rate drop from 5.8 percent in 2001, to 5.4 percent in 2005. 

During the 2014 “World Mayor” campaign hosted by the NGO, City Mayors Foundation, Obrador was ranked the second best mayor overall.

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Mexicans voting at a polling station in Mexico City on July 1, 2018. (Photo: People’s Daily)

Third time’s a charm

The victory marks Obrador’s third attempt at Mexico’s highest office, which he ran for in the previous two elections.

In the 2006 election, Obrador lost to National Action Party candidate Felipe Calderon over a slight disadvantage. Then Obrador insisted the election was fraudulent and appealed to the Federal Electoral Court for a full recount. However, the court rejected his request, only recounting some of the votes and eventually declared Felipe Calderon the winner.

In the 2012 election, Obrador lost to Mexico’s outgoing leader, President Enrique Peña Nieto. On July 25, 2010, Obrador announced he would run for office during a speech at  Constitution Square.

After the election results were announced he claimed the presidential election process had been violated and asked the Mexican Federal Election Commission to recount he  constituency ballots. And this year, he won Mexico’s presidential election in a landslide victory.

Policies and Promises

During his victory speech Sunday night in Mexico City, Obrador called on all Mexicans to reconcile and put general interests and the country’s interests above personal interests.

Eradicating corruption and impunity will be the main mission of the next government. Corruption will not be tolerated, he said. Obrador reiterated his commitment to the poorest, and said that he will lead change that the country requires to achieve a better society.

"I will not disappoint or betray the people," said the incoming president, who will take office on December 1.

The president-elect also referred to the economic growth of Mexico and the world, which is expected to be 4 percent, while in Mexico it could be 2 percent, so he proposed to work for "employment, welfare, peace and tranquility.”

With regard to US relations, Obrador said he hopes to reach an agreement with US President Donald Trump, and tried to persuade Mexico’s Northern neighbor to abandon the border wall project and instead focus on developing the economy and increasing employment.