Mexico: Lopez Obrador assumes parallel presidency

Thousands of supporters of Andres Manual Lopez Obrador again filled Mexico City’s central plaza, the zocalo, Nov. 20 to witness his swearing in as Mexico’s parallel “legitimate president,” with a cabinet of 12 mostly drawn from his former administration as the capital’s mayor. (AP, Nov. 20) “It is an honor to be the legitimate president of Mexico and above all the leader of free men and women like you,” López Obrador told the crowd after leftist senator and human-rights activist Rosario Ibarra de Piedra placed a red-white-and-green “presidential sash” over his shoulder. (LAT, Nov. 21)

“Those neo-fascist reactionaries better not think they’ll have room to manoeuvre,” he told his supporters Nov. 18. “We’re going to keep them on a short leash.” (BBC, Nov. 20)

See our last posts on Mexico and the electoral crisis.