International affairs watchers have urged President Donald Trump of the US to beware because the toughies are around the American border. How? Voters in Mexico have elected leftist candidate, López Obrador, as their next leader in a landslide victory, showing the former mayor with double-digit leads over his competitors.
López Obrador, 64, mounted his third bid for the presidency with promises to rein in widespread corruption and fight poverty within the country. A former mayor of Mexico City, he will replace current President Enrique Peña Nieto and has promised to upend traditional party politics.
Records show that Mr. Obrador would be the first leftist president in decades. His two main opponents, Jose Antonio Meade, the ruling party candidate, and center-right candidate, Ricardo Anaya, conceded the election as early as the results started coming in. “For the good of Mexico, I wish him the very best of success,” Meade said in his concession speech.
López Obrador, also known as AMLO, has won mass appeal among the populace with sweeping promises to sell the presidential plane, cut his salary if elected and bolster the wages of the civil servants. He also pledged to save $20 billion a year by combating corruption and divert the money to social programs.
His victory represents a resounding defeat for Peña Nieto’s ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, which has lost popularity in recent years amid turmoil with President Donald Trump. All of the candidates had lambasted the American leader, but López Obrador has stressed the need to work with the US, saying that the countries would “have to come to an agreement.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has congratulated Mr. Obrador on Twitter, saying he looked “very much forward to working with him.”
