Politics: AMLO shifts focus from public security to political reform and presidential hopefuls

MEXICO - Report 07 Nov 2022 by Guillermo Valdes and Francisco González

With his militarization of public security measures having already passed Congress and well on their way to final ratification, President López Obrador has been free to focus on the next phases of his strategy to ensure that his Morena party will retain its hold on the National Palace following the June 2024 presidential elections. The first prong of that approach also involves a major constitutional reform, to completely revamp the way the electoral system is managed as well as the composition of Congress, proposals for which he as yet lacks the necessary votes but is currently quietly engaged in talks in the hopes of cutting a deal with the national leadership of the PRI. At the same time, he has stepped up efforts to raise the profile of his close friend and colleague, Minister of the Interior Adán López Hernández, who has been trailing in the polls behind the two current frontrunners for the Morena presidential nomination. Speculation generally points to AMLO's wanting to guarantee he has a strong backup in the event that his first choice for the nomination, Mexico City Head of Government Claudia Sheinbaum, should falter.

With the existence of the current electoral institutions under imminent threat, all of the other opposition parties and part of society have come out in their defense. A civil society initiative in the form of the National Civic Front is organizing nationwide demonstrations for Sunday, November 13, to defend democracy and the INE and electoral court. The Mexican Bishops Conference and the Business Coordinating Council have each issued statements in opposition to the president's electoral reform. The Venice Commission has also weighed in, issuing a highly critical assessment of the AMLO government’s reform proposals.

The first big test could come with next Sunday’s protests. If they manage to turn out people in large numbers they could potentially derail the Morena-PRI talks and AMLO’s political reform while also giving a boost to a united opposition ahead of the next presidential contest.

Now read on...

Register to sample a report

Register
Sign-in
Forgot your password?
Copyright 2024 GlobalSource Partners. All rights reserved. This report is prepared for GlobalSource Partners’ clients and may not be redistributed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, retransmitted or disclosed, in whole or in part, or in any form or manner, without the express written consent of GlobalSource Partners. This report is distributed simultaneously to our website and other portals used by GlobalSource Partners. The information herein was obtained from various sources and is believed to be reliable but GlobalSource Partners does not warrant its completeness or accuracy. Neither GlobalSource Partners nor any Country Analyst, officer or employee accepts any liability whatsoever for any direct, indirect or consequential damages or losses rising from any use of this report or its contents.