Andrés Manuel López Obrador

Background

On 24 June 2017, the PT agreed to fight the 2018 election in an electoral alliance with Morena; however, the coalition had not officially registered with the National Electoral Institute (INE), the country's electoral authority. For Morena, the alliance consolidated after the withdrawal of the PT's candidate Óscar González Yáñez, who resigned his candidacy and called for votes in favor of Delfina Gómez Álvarez, the standard-bearer in the state elections of the State of Mexico in 2017.

In October 2017, at PT's National Congress, as party president Alberto Anaya was reelected to another 6-year term, PT formalized its coalition with Morena.

At first, there was speculation about the possibility of a front grouping all the left-wing parties: Morena, the PRD, PT, and the MC. However, López Obrador rejected any agreement due to political differences, especially after the 2017 State of Mexico elections, where the candidates of the PRD and MC continued with their campaigns and refused to support the Morena candidate. At the end of November 2017, the leaders of Morena and the PES announced that they were in talks to form a possible alliance: Hugo Eric Flores Cervantes, president of the PES, said: "We don't negotiate with the PRI, we have two options, go alone or with Morena."

Education

With his saying, "Becarios sí, sicarios, no" (Scholarship recipients, yes; hitmen, no), López Obrador promised guaranteed schooling and employment to all young Mexicans, through universal access to public colleges, and proposed monthly scholarships of 2,400 MXN to low-income university students. López Obrador is against the educational reform passed into law in 2013, stating he opposes the use of standardized test scores as a basis for firing teachers, saying, "It is an ideological problem of the right, of conservatism; deep down they do not want public education, they want education to be privatized, that is the mentality that prevails in these people. I ask them to be serene and if you really want to help improve education, do not polarize or disqualify [the teachers]." He also argued that: "children go to school without eating and that is not addressed in the so-called education reform."

The educational reform laws passed during the Peña Nieto administration were overturned in September 2019. The new laws promise to assess teachers' opinions and preserve the public nature of the school system.

Education

In 2019 López Obrador consolidated some projects to support the educational system in Mexico, some of them being the creation of one hundred public universities and the approval of the reforms to articles 3, 31 and 73 of the Mexican Constitution, about education, in which parents, teachers and authorities participated. That same year, he also implemented the scholarship program "Bienestar Benito Juárez" in all educational levels of public service, in order to encourage the permanence of students and also reverted the Education Reform implemented during the Peña Nieto administration, replacing it with one that would guarantee free education at all levels.

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico, face-to-face classes were suspended since March, in order to avoid contagions of the disease. In August, the president signed an agreement with the television networks Televisa, TV Azteca, Imagen Televisión and Grupo Multimedios so that preschool, primary and secondary school students could begin receiving classes and educational content on television. In December, he announced Delfina Gómez Álvarez as the new secretary of Public Education, replacing Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, who would become Mexico's ambassador to the United States. In 2021, a protocol was announced with which students could gradually return to face-to-face classes, but only in those states that were on a green light of the epidemiological traffic light during the COVID pandemic. The exchange between Delfina and Moctezuma was officially carried out on 15 February. The return of face-to-face classes since the beginning of the pandemic took place on 7 June in Mexico City, San Luis Potosí and Aguascalientes, and on the 14 of the same month in the State of Mexico. However, this return was silently canceled again when cases of children infected with COVID-19 began to be registered inside schools, little student presence, and the beginning of a third wave of infections by the disease. Despite this, the president announced that the return of face-to-face classes would be "rained, thundered or lighted" in August, one of his motivations being to avoid the supposed "addiction to video games" that kids have today.

Political agenda

As mayor, López Obrador implemented various social programs that included extending financial assistance to help vulnerable groups in Mexico City, including single mothers, senior citizens, and the physically and mentally challenged. He invested in housing and schools, created old-age pensions, and expanded services. He also helped found the first new university in Mexico City in three decades, the Universidad Autónoma de la Ciudad de México.

López Obrador hired former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani to craft a zero-tolerance policy that would help reduce crime in Mexico City.

He directed the restoration and modernization of Mexico City's historic downtown, which has 16th- and 17th-century buildings and many tourist spaces. He led a joint venture with billionaire businessman Carlos Slim Helú, a native of downtown Mexico City, to expropriate, restore, rebuild, and gentrify large parts of the area, creating shopping and residential areas for middle- and upper-income residents.

López Obrador used fiscal policy to encourage private sector investment in housing. He granted construction firms tax breaks and liberalized zoning regulations, leading to the construction of more condominiums and office buildings during his tenure than during any other period in Mexico City's history. New high-density condos emerged in the upscale neighborhoods of Polanco and Lomas de Chapultepec.

To improve traffic flow on the city's two main inner-city roads, Periférico and Viaducto, he added sections of second stories to the Anillo Periférico. He renovated about 10% of those roads. The Metrobús, an express bus service based on the Curitiba model, was built down Avenida Insurgentes, cutting through the city some 20 km from north to south.

Political proposals

Economic proposals

In November 2011, López Obrador announced some of his economic proposals:

Job creation: A sustained 6% growth rate to generate the new 1.2 million jobs needed each year.

Austerity: Reducing salaries of government officials and unnecessary spending, saving around US$30 billion a year.

Progressive fiscal reforms: López Obrador said the people who make less should pay a smaller percentage of taxes than those who make more money.

No new taxes or increases on existing taxes: López Obrador plans to focus on ending fiscal privileges.

Competition: End monopolies; any private citizen who wants to participate in media, television, and telephony should be able to.

Security policy

López Obrador had been a firm critic of Felipe Calderón's crime strategy and promised to reduce military presence on the streets, offering reparations to victims of the Mexican drug war and emphasizing the protection of human rights in the country. López Obrador proposed a single police command that would gradually assume the activities of the Mexican Navy and the Mexican Army, as well as a single intelligence agency to tackle the financial networks of criminal organizations. The new police force would promote "civic and moral values". He promised to increase the salaries and benefits given to law enforcement officials throughout Mexico. His security strategy comprised ten proposals, but all of them had the main theme: organized crime cannot be tackled if the government is responsible for the erosion of human rights.

He also stated that if elected, he would reject any intelligence activity from the United States, including money and weapons in aid. This policy would stop the operations in Mexico of the Central Intelligence Agency and the Drug Enforcement Administration, including the use of drones. But it could also discourage U.S. aid to Mexico (US$1.6 billion since 2008). The proposal intended to appeal to discontent over U.S. actions in "Operation Fast and Furious", where ATF agents were involved in a gun-walking scandal.

López Obrador promised to reactivate the economy and social growth, so more people could have access to a "better life" without joining cartels and abandoning the rule of law. He also pledged to improve the education system and create more jobs before the criminal groups can recruit them. He also spoke of taming corruption, impunity, drug consumption, addiction, and elite privileges. The security Cabinet he proposed would work directly with the municipal and state forces in a unified command.

López Obrador summed up his security policy as "Abrazos, no balazos" (Hugs, not bullets). At the start of his campaign, he said he would remove Mexican Army personnel from the streets. Still, in May 2012, it stated that the military would continue to operate until Mexico had a "trained, skilled and moralized police force."

Political positions during campaign

López Obrador has been described as left-wing and populist. Other outlets have claimed that López Obrador toned down his rhetoric for the 2018 election, allying with business figures and narrowing his criticism of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In his inauguration speech, he inveighed against neoliberalism, calling it a "disaster" and a "calamity" for the country, and promised "a fourth transformation", in reference to three major events in Mexican history, the Mexican War of Independence (1810–1821), the Reform War (1858–1861) and the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920).

He proposed the cancellation of the under-construction New Mexico City International Airport, the conversion of the president's official residence and office complex, Los Pinos, into a cultural center, as well as universal health care, free internet, and a sale of the presidential aircraft. López Obrador has offered to hold referendums on various issues, among them a performance evaluation halfway through his term during the 2021 legislative elections (instead of his former proposal of every two years)) that would cut his six-year term short if he lost the consultation. He proposed dispersing the cabinet throughout the country's states, with the objective of "promoting development throughout the national territory," while the Presidency and the Ministries of National Defense, the Navy, the Interior, Foreign Affairs, and Finance and Public Credit would remain in the capital.

New Airport for Mexico City

Corruption, geological, and environmental problems related to the construction of a new airport in Texcoco, State of Mexico, were major issues during López Obrador's 2018 presidential campaign. After winning the election but before taking office, he sponsored a citizen referendum on replacing the Texcoco airport with rebuilding the military airport Santa Lucia in Zumpango, State of Mexico. The referendum passed with 70% of the 1 million votes cast. Canceling the airport cost MXN 75 billion (US$3.98 billion). The new airport in Zumpango was named "Felipe Ángeles International Airport", and construction began on 17 October 2019. The airport opened in March 2022.

Anti-corruption

López Obrador's chief pledge was to eradicate institutional corruption by enacting constitutional laws and policies to make corruption more difficult. One example is two laws enacted that make corruption and voter fraud a criminal act without bail, as well as removing corrupt government officials with due process. López Obrador pledged a combination of zero tolerance and personal honesty to sweep it out "from top to bottom like cleaning the stairs." He asked international organizations to come to Mexico to help investigate cases of corruption and human rights abuses. He announced a willingness to allow the creation of a body akin to the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala to help local prosecutors build graft cases. He also proposed to amend an article in the constitution to make it possible to try presidents for corruption.

Energy

López Obrador has had mixed views on the privatization of oil that was signed into law in 2013. He has called for a referendum over the 2013 energy reform that ended Pemex's monopoly in the oil industry. Rocío Nahle García, his top energy adviser, has called for a freeze on future deepwater drilling auctions and a review of contracts with international oil companies. In February 2018, his business adviser, Alfonso Romo, said, "[he] reviewed most of the oil tenders awarded to private drillers and found them to be beneficial for Mexico." He has also pledged to end oil exports to focus internally, as well as invest in refineries along with ending the importation of gasoline from the United States, saying the nation must recover energy self-sufficiency "as a principle of national security" and should make loss-making state refineries operable and assess biodiesel production. López Obrador has promised no more gasolinazos as well as no more hikes in electricity and gas prices. On 30 November 2018, López Obrador told the press that the previous administration's oil reforms, which permitted auctioning oil field rights to private companies, would not continue under his administration.

Shortly after taking office, López Obrador cracked down on the robbery of motor fuels: Huachicolero. Despite the 18 January 2019 Tlahuelilpan pipeline explosion that cost the lives of at least 119 in Tlahuelilpan, Hidalgo, and local fuel shortages, gasoline theft was cut by 95% from 81,000 barrels in November 2018 to 4,000 barrels in April 2019 with a savings of 11 billion pesos ($581 million).

By 2023 Mexico plans to have seven oil refineries, including a new one that is being built at the Dos Bocas port in Paraíso, Tabasco. Construction on the Dos Bocas refinery began in August 2019, with an estimated cost between US$6 billion and $8 billion.

Drug War

As the Mexican drug war that started under President Calderón (2006–12) dragged on into its 12th year, he reiterated his 2012 presidential run strategy of "Abrazos, no balazos" (Hugs, not bullets), arguing that jobs and better wages, especially for younger people and the rural populace, are necessary to combat crime, not the use of more military force. He has proposed amnesty for some drug war criminals, for which he would seek the aid of international NGOs, Pope Francis, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Héctor Vasconcelos, a former diplomat, said a López Obrador government would gradually pull back the Army and Navy from the streets where they have been engaged. López Obrador is willing to establish a truth commission to bring closure to tens of thousands of people exposed to murders and disappearances of their friends and families, such as the 2014 Ayotzinapa kidnapping. He declared that he would consider legalizing certain drugs as part of a broader strategy to fight poverty and crime.

López Obrador declared an end to the Drug War, announcing that he wished to shift from capturing capos (drug lords) to reducing violence and paying more attention to health and socioeconomic concerns. Nonetheless, the murder rate increased during his first year in office. López Obrador has sent the newly formed, militarized National Guard to fight crime, but they have not been any more successful than previous police and military efforts. A major setback was a failed attempt to arrest Ovidio Guzmán López in October 2019, which set off fierce gun battles in Culiacán, Sinaloa, and had to be called off. López Obrador later explained that his primary concern was saving lives. When three adults and six children, American citizens belonging to the LeBaron family, were killed near the border between Sinaloa and Chihuahua, President Donald Trump briefly threatened to declare the cartels terrorist organizations. López Obrador persuaded him not to do so.

Economic policy

Lopez Obrador describes himself as an adherent of a mixed economy. At an event on 3 June 2018, he explained that "there will be a mixed economy; the State with public investment could not face the challenge of growth in Mexico, private investment is required, and the social sector is also required." Based on his economic proposals, he wants the country to be "self-sufficient" and to "rescue the agriculture industry" affected by the North American Free Trade Agreement. He has also doubled compensations to both, pensions to two million five hundred senior citizens, and the nation's minimum wage. López Obrador has also created a special zone along Mexico's northern border with lower value-added taxes, lower rent taxes, and a higher minimum wage. His advisers also said that the same measures could also be directed at Mexico's southern border and elsewhere to contain migration. He has planned a host of infrastructure projects in partnership with the private sector, including rail links in the forests of Yucatán and across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, to spark economic growth in Mexico's economically depressed south. At a major banking conference in March 2018, he made promises to maintain economic stability and respect the autonomy of the Bank of Mexico, saying: "We will support banks and we won't confiscate assets. There won't be expropriations or nationalizations."

NAFTA/USMCA

López Obrador has criticized NAFTA, arguing small Mexican corn farmers have been affected, as well as proposing to defend avocado farmers from agricultural tariffs. He has asked Peña Nieto's administration to postpone the current renegotiation of the agreement, arguing both Donald Trump and Peña Nieto do not have a strong, amicable relationship, tainted by a cancelled foreign trip. During the general assembly of the American Chamber of Commerce in Mexico, he said he does not want the agreement cancelled, arguing it benefits the three member nations. In June 2018, during a presidential debate, he argued that if there is a failure in the NAFTA renegotiation, the domestic economy must be strengthened, saying, "[it] cannot be fatal for Mexicans, our country has a lot of natural resources, a lot of wealth." López Obrador has argued in favor of increasing workers' salaries "because wages in our country are very low; they are the lowest wages in the world and we need to strengthen the domestic market and improve the income of workers; you can not be paying the workers of the maquilas 800 pesos a week."

Mexico and the United States reached a new trade agreement on 27 August 2018, and Canada agreed on 30 September. The new trade agreement is called the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA). The USMCA increases environmental and labor regulations, and incentivizes the domestic production of cars and trucks. The agreement also provides updated intellectual property protections. Then-U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, and Deputy Minister for North America Jesús Seade Kuri signed a modified agreement in Mexico City on 10 December 2018. The Mexican Senate ratified the treaty on 19 June 2019, the US on January 29, 2020 (Public Law No: 116–113), and Canada on March 13, 2020.

Fiscal policy

Arguing he would be fiscally conservative, López Obrador proposed raising social spending without tax hikes or accumulation of public debt, via proposed austerity measures on politician and bureaucrat salaries and subsidies, including the president's salary and post-presidential pension, as well as fighting private corruption and tax fraud.

López Obrador has reduced the presidential salary by 60% to MXN 108,000 (US$5,000) per month and has limited what public servants and judiciary members can earn. He opened the presidential housing complex of Los Pinos to the public, taking up residence in the National Palace. On top of this, he has sold off government assets, including vehicles and real estate; proceeds have gone to social programs for the poor. An austerity law passed in October 2019 restricts remodeling of government offices, bans government employees for ten years from working in private companies they regulated while in office, and cuts presidential pensions. The president flies commercial airlines, but has not yet found a buyer for the presidential airplane.

Foreign policy

Following accusations by interest groups and the opposition, which have alleged influences by the Venezuelan government and drawn comparisons with Donald Trump, López Obrador stated, "No to Chavismo, no to Trumpismo; yes to Juarismo, yes to Maderismo, yes to Cardenismo, yes to Mexicanismo." He has repeatedly stated that he wants to continue the bilateral relationship with the United States based on mutual respect and friendship, "and not of subordination", insisting that "Mexico will not be a piñata of any foreign government". He has also said, "we no longer want Mexico to be seen as a country of conquest, the looting is over." During a presidential debate, López Obrador argued that "the best foreign policy is domestic policy", in that if the country has no corruption and crime, it will help develop trust for investment and tourism because the image of Mexico would improve the perception of Mexico in the international arena. He has campaigned on Mexico's former foreign policy of non-interventionism and the Principle of the self-determination of the peoples' nations, the Estrada Doctrine, stated in the Mexican constitution, article 89. López Obrador reiterated his commitment to non-interventionism with the statement he made during his presidential victory speech, "We will be friends of all the world's people and governments. The principles of non-intervention, self-determination, and the peaceful settlement of disputes will be applied again."

After the 2019 election victory in Argentina, López Obrador developed a close relationship with President Alberto Fernández in what El País described as a "progressive alliance", with Fernández making one of his first official trips abroad to Mexico (the first being to Israel). The two countries later developed a closer bond in cooperation regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. López Obrador also expressed support for Argentina's claim to the Falkland Islands and has urged the United Kingdom to negotiate an end to the dispute with Argentina.

Immigration and U.S. policy

As President Donald Trump accused Mexican illegal immigrants of "bringing drugs [and] crime" during his presidential campaign, López Obrador took a stance against Trump's proposals for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border as well as the deportation of undocumented immigrants in the United States. In 2017, he called on the Peña Nieto administration to "[present] a lawsuit at the United Nations against the U.S. government for violation of human rights and racial discrimination". He promised to convert the 50 Mexican consulates in the United States into "procurators" for the defense of migrants, suggested appointing Alicia Bárcena, current Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, as Mexico's permanent representative to the UN, and pledged to put pressure on the United States through organizations like the United Nations. He accused the establishment parties of the corruption that keeps migrants from receiving the support they need.

Exercise of political power

In his first year, López Obrador's approval ratings were high, approximately the same as previous administrations at the same point in their terms. Despite that, there has appeared to be little progress on