{"id":17013,"date":"2018-09-19T11:25:26","date_gmt":"2018-09-19T11:25:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ceo-na.com\/?p=17013"},"modified":"2018-10-09T21:05:45","modified_gmt":"2018-10-09T21:05:45","slug":"who-is-mexicos-new-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/business\/management-leadership\/who-is-mexicos-new-leader\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is AMLO, Mexico\u2019s new leader?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Latin America has a new voice, Donald Trump has a new foil.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Article retaken from<\/strong>\u00a0Willis Sparks, Director of Eurasia Group<\/a>, and SIGNAL staff<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, widely known as AMLO<\/a>, has been chosen Mexico\u2019s new leader, but who is he?<\/p>\n

\u201cFriend of the working man\u201d:<\/strong>\u00a0 He is Mexico\u2019s first \u201cleftist\u201d president since the 1930s, this son of village shopkeepers knows his working-class audience. His support is strongest in the country\u2019s poor rural south, a region he promises to revitalize, and in the progressive-leftist stronghold of Mexico City. Over the years, AMLO, 64, has cultivated an image as a modest, honest, hard-working public servant. That image, more than any policy proposal, defines his appeal.<\/p>\n

The Capable Executive:<\/strong>\u00a0As Mexico City\u2019s mayor (2000-2006), AMLO built a reputation as a leader focused on results. He proved willing to work with political opponents to expand pension protections, build roads to ease traffic, and restore dilapidated downtown infrastructure.<\/p>\n

The determined politician:\u00a0<\/strong>This is AMLO\u2019s third run for president. After losing in 2006 by less than one percent of the vote, he accused his opponent of fraud, and his supporters occupied the center of the capital for several months. In 2012, he lost again. He\u2019s now finally on the verge of victory.<\/p>\n

The pragmatist:<\/strong>\u00a0Though he does want the State to dictate the role of public and private players in the economy, AMLO has worked hard to persuade Mexicans he\u2019s not a Hugo Chavez-style radical ideologue. He rails against a corrupt political elite but says he won\u2019t raise taxes or confiscate land.<\/p>\n

Nor is he a Chavez-style firebrand. After Trump\u2019s election, AMLO published a book called \u201cListen, Trump\u201d which included a passage that compared Trump\u2019s descriptions of Mexicans with Nazi descriptions of Jews. But aware that Mexico needs good relations with the US, he has since taken a more circumspect approach and has reportedly worked behind the scenes to build ties with Trump advisors. AMLO won\u2019t be silent if Trump attacks, but he\u2019s unlikely to fire the first shot.<\/p>\n

The president:<\/strong>\u00a0AMLO\u2019s likely landslide will boost his coalition to a majority in the lower house of Mexico\u2019s congress and sizeable delegation in its Senate. That\u2019s enough to get some things done, but he\u2019s unlikely to realize the highest hopes or deepest fears that his career and campaign have aroused.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

\u201cAMLO\u2019s greatest strengths are his persistence and popular appeal (…) \u201cHe has correctly identified the most pressing ills that have undermined Mexico… Yet, even if his diagnoses hit the mark, his solutions lack institutional perspective and policy specifics”: Patrick Iber and Carlos Bravo Regidor in Dissent magazine.
PHOTO: ILSE HUESCA \/CUARTOSCURO.COM<\/p><\/div>\n

In particular:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • On fighting inequality<\/strong>, he promises free education and guaranteed jobs for the young, more generous pensions for the elderly, and lower taxes for Mexican companies\u2014all paid for, he says, by ending corruption.<\/li>\n
  • On NAFTA<\/strong>, he\u2019ll delay progress by appointing a new negotiating team, but economic necessity and political self-interest ensure he\u2019ll want a deal.<\/li>\n
  • On corruption<\/strong>, be skeptical that AMLO, or anyone else, can take on the broad cross-section of Mexico\u2019s political and business elite necessary to make a meaningful near-term difference.\u200b<\/li>\n
  • On violent crime<\/strong>, AMLO is simply overmatched. During this election campaign, the most violent in Mexico\u2019s history, more than 120 politicians have been murdered, the national homicide rate has hit record levels, and violence has spread to new areas. Drug cartels have coopted local governments and police. In response, AMLO offers vague promises about a renewed Security Ministry, a national advisory council, an amnesty program for small-fry drug dealers, greater investment in education, and opportunities created by a stronger economy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The bottom-line:\u00a0<\/strong>A candidate can hope to be all things to enough people. Elected leaders must deliver. AMLO\u2019s honeymoon may prove shorter than he expected.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Latin America has a new voice, Donald Trump has a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":17014,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[1153,324,1154,854,1155],"class_list":["post-17013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-management-leadership","tag-amlo","tag-chief-executive-officer","tag-mexico","tag-mexico-presidential-election","tag-president"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17013"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18351,"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17013\/revisions\/18351"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}