Lopez Obrador Wins Mexican Presidency In Historic Election

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the left-wing populist candidate for the Mexican presidency, has just won his country’s election.

According to a poll conducted by Televisa, Lopez Obrador had a 16 to 26 percent lead over his rival Ricardo Anaya.

Lopez Obrador’s opponents conceded before the first poll results were released.

Anaya stated that he recognized his opponent’s victory. Lopez Obrador’s other opponent, Institutional Revolutionary Party’s Jose Antonio Meade, was also quick to recognize the elections’ winner. Meade placed third in the polls.

Lopez Obrador’s recently-created Morena Party is set to win the governorship in several Mexican cities, including Mexico City.

Preliminary results, which counted only five percent of the total votes, were released on Sunday through a procedure named “quick count.” Official results will be released later this week.

Lopez Obrador appealed to Mexicans’ anger regarding corruption and violence in the nation. Mexico’s recent administrations have taken a center-right approach to government, embracing globalization and pushing Mexico to be the second largest economy in Latin America. Several citizens did not approve of recent administrations’ actions, as they felt these administrations did not help citizens directly, nor did they keep the country’s best interest in mind.

While Lopez Obrador’s anti-status-quo campaign attracted many of his voters, it is unclear how to make his campaign promises a reality. Some of his promises included social programs which will require sources of funding that have not been specified yet. Lopez Obrador also promised to tackle the country’s ongoing drug wars, which have been a difficult and complex challenge for several previous administrations.  He has received some criticism for dismissing both his critics as well as the media, which is not a useful or productive approach.

Lopez Obrador won in what has been called the largest election in his country’s history, with 3,400 races overall.

Lopez Obrador won half of the country’s vote, and his opponents decided to concede before any official announcements or total vote counts. Both of these facts are historic.

During his victory speech, Lopez Obrador reminded of his voters that he will fight against poverty and take his citizens’ well-being as a priority. He stated:

I call on all Mexicans to reconciliation, and to put above their personal interests, however legitimate, the greater interest, the general interest. The state will cease to be a committee at the service of a minority and will represent all Mexicans, rich and poor, those who live in the country and in the city, migrants, believers and nonbelievers, to people of all philosophies and sexual preferences.”

Lopez Obrador’s campaign also promoted higher pensions for elderly citizens, education grants for youth, and overall social change in the country. He stated that the money saved by decreasing current corruption would be enough to fund all of his programs.

This, of course, has caused many to doubt Lopez Obrador’s capabilities and question whether or not he will actually follow through with his plans. His choice of allies has also raised doubts from the press, as they include leftists, unions, and far-right conservatives. Some say that these choices could cause trouble for him in the long run, as there will be significant disagreements between them when it comes to making decisions.

Featured image via Wikipedia