Andrés Manuel López Obrador vowed a “deep and radical” change in Mexico as he assumed the country’s presidency on Saturday, five months after winning a landslide election victory.
The leader, widely known by his initials as “AMLO”, took the oath of office and donned the presidential sash before Congress — where the coalition led by the upstart party he founded four years ago, Morena, now has strong majorities in both houses.
End of two-party rule
Ending 89 years of government by the same two parties, Mr. López Obrador surged to victory in the July 1 elections promising a new approach to issues fuelling widespread outrage: crime, poverty and corruption.
“It might seem pretentious or exaggerated to say it, but today is not just the start of a new government. It is the start of a political regime change,” he said, the presidential sash newly draped over his dark suit and burgundy tie. “We will carry out a peaceful and orderly but also deep and radical transformation.”
Vowing to lead his anti-corruption, pro-austerity drive by example, Mr. López Obrador has forsworn the presidential residence, jet and security detail, and cut his own salary by 60%. In a sign of the times, the sumptuous presidential residence, Los Pinos, was opened to the public Saturday as a cultural centre.
The inaugural address largely repeated the sweeping but vague promises of his campaign. He resumed his attempts to soothe the markets with promises of balanced budgets and pro-investment policies. But he also attacked Mexico’s “neoliberal” economic model as “a disaster” and railed against his predecessor Enrique Peña Nieto’s privatisation of the energy sector.
