Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, leader of the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) party, waves after giving a speech to supporters in Tlapanoloya, Mexico, January 25, 2017. REUTERS/Henry Romero/File Photo
Roger Noriega, CapX: Frustrated Mexicans are set to elect their own populist strongman
* Like the US, Mexico is about to elect a populist firebrand with no time for established institutions
* Mexicans should beware of 'AMLO' bringing in Chavez-style constitutional changes
* Lopez Obrador's antiquated policies risk worsening Mexico's crime and corruption
Today, the “problem on the United States’ southwest border” refers to an influx of illegal immigrants. Next week, that problem may be an unstable Mexico—a nation of 130 million people that on Sunday will likely elect a populist firebrand to confront rampant insecurity and corruption.
Opinion polls reflect a commanding lead by Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (“AMLO,” as the candidate is universally known). Although AMLO has been in public life for 40 years and enjoyed national prominence for nearly two decades, Mexicans are not sure whether
the maverick has matured or if he will govern as a caudillo (or “strong man”).
Critics paint AMLO as an adherent to the “21st Century Socialism” model espoused by Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and inspired by Fidel Castro. In fact, AMLO’s core economic philosophy resembles that of president Luis Echeverria (1970-76), which places him squarely within the tradition of Mexican populism, nationalism, and caudillismo.
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WNU Editor: Andres Manuel Lopez Obrado is no Donald Trump .... and when it comes to policies, the exact opposite from what President Trump is pushing. But Mexicans are clearly upset, and they are going to elect Lopez Obrador not because they support what he wants to do, but because they despise the established political parties for what they have done to Mexico.
9 comments:
populist firebrand in Mexico? bad bad bad
populist firebrand in U.S.? good good good
The point is not whether Lopez Obrador is like Trump or opposed to Trump. The point is that the voters of Mexico, like in many other countries, including the US, are tired of the status quo because it doesn't work for them.That's why trump won in 2016 and why a Bernie Sanders supporter won her primary against an establishment Democrat in New York, why Brexit won in Britain and why Italian voters elected a government that the EU bureaucrats in Brussels tried to keep from being seated. The world is changing folks, but some people are stuck in the past in a world that no longer exists.
@Carl,
You're exactly right. I suspect we are on different side of the political spectrum, but agree on this. It's kind of like seeing the two sides of a coin, many times the sides are completely different, but the it's the same coin.
JH
Mexico has done this in the past and yet here we are, Ground Hogs Day.
Mexico will change the script this time by running to China to solve it's trade woes with the USA. The results won't be to future Mexican generations liking.
Smith
Bs bs bs
thanks. I can see how well things are going since The Fix
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