Mexico Election: López Obrador Vows Profound Change after Win

Politics | July 2, 2018, Monday // 09:49
Bulgaria: Mexico Election: López Obrador Vows Profound Change after Win

Left-wing candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador has claimed victory in Mexico's presidential election, saying "profound change" is coming.

The ex-Mexico City mayor, known by his initials Amlo, is projected to win about 53% and his rivals have conceded.

He vowed to tackle the "evil" of corruption, saying it had caused social inequality and violence in the country.

He also pledged to double pensions for the elderly and seek friendly ties with the United States.

Relations with Washington have been strained since the election of President Donald Trump, who has strongly criticised Mexico over trade and migration. Mr Trump sent out a tweet of congratulations.

What has López Obrador said?

Speaking late on Sunday, the 64-year-old promised to respect civil liberties and vowed there would be "no dictatorship" under his government.

He called on all Mexicans to reconcile and repeated his campaign pledge to review energy contracts for signs of corruption.

"Corruption is... the result of a decadent political regime. We are absolutely convinced that this evil is the main cause of social and economic inequality, and also that corruption is to blame for the violence in our country," he said.

He has insisted that no-one involved in corruption will be spared, not even those he calls "brothers-in-arms".

On combating Mexico's record levels of violence, Mr López Obrador said he would have daily meetings with his security cabinet, which under him, he said, would be under a "unified command".

Sunday's election followed one of Mexico's deadliest campaigns in decades with more than 130 political candidates and party workers killed.

During the campaign Mr López Obrador had often used confrontational language when referring to Mr Trump, but struck a more conciliatory note in his victory speech, saying that he would seek "friendly relations".

He also tried to reassure the business sector, parts of which have been nervous about him winning, saying there would be no nationalisation and that he would respect private business. He also said his government would be fiscally disciplined and taxes would not be raised.

On social policies, he said he would double pensions for the elderly upon taking office on 1 December as a first step to reducing Mexico's disparate income levels.

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