Mexico's election could be pinnacle for Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador

BY ROBERTO VELASCO-ALVAREZ, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 06/02/18 02:30 PM EDT

The outcome of Mexico’s presidential election this July could radically change not only Mexico but its relationship with the United States. The elected president will govern for six years, time enough to affect NAFTA and other economic policies and to establish new norms for security.

Of four contenders for president, polls find the most popular is former Mexico City mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, often described by foreign news media as a leftist firebrand. From what I’ve observed, he’s less of that and more of a pragmatist with a persistent political strategy. He narrowly lost a presidential bid in 2006 and turned his defeat, for which he blamed election fraud, into Mexico’s most powerful political party, Morena.

Lopez Obrador formed Morena after years of well-executed steps that began in 2006 when he contested his defeat with a massive public sit-in on Mexico City’s Reforma Avenue, akin to our Wall Street. During that rally he declared himself Mexico’s legitimate president and demanded a recount. The electoral authorities refused, ruled for Felipe Calderon, and later burned ballots, destroying any evidence that might have proven election fraud. Lopez Obrador’s congressional advocates then tried to sabotage President Calderon’s inauguration. I witnessed all of this as an intern in Congress. The scene was outlandish.


Lopez Obrador had been a moderate mayor who worked with billionaire Carlos Slim to rebuild Mexico City’s downtown. His refutation of the presidential election resulted in harsh criticism from his then-leftist party (PRD) and he lost control of it. As adversaries took over, Lopez Obrador turned to a grassroots strategy. For the next five years, from 2006 to 2011, he visited all of Mexico’s 2,438 municipalities to plant the seeds for his Morena party.

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http://thehill.com/opinion/international/390354-mexicos-election-could-be-pinnacle-for-andres-manuel-lopez-obrador