MEXICO CITY — Andrés Manuel López Obrador took the reins of governance here on Saturday, becoming the most left-wing president Mexico has had in its modern history — and assuming office at a time of growing frustration among Mexicans and high expectations for change.

In his first speech to Congress, Lopez Obrador pledged “a peaceful and orderly transition, but one that is deep and radical ... because we will end the corruption and impunity that prevent Mexico’s rebirth.”

Tired of the rampant corruption that plagues all levels of government, as well as sky-high violence, Mexicans voted overwhelmingly for AMLO, as López Obrador is known, giving him a landslide victory.

During his campaign, López Obrador vowed to crack down on corruption, called for economic austerity and pledged to slash his own salary — ditching the presidential jet is also in his plans — and cap other public officials’ pay. López Obrador, 64, a former Mexico City mayor, criticized his opponents during the campaign, calling them “the mafia in power.”

Some have even compared López Obrador to Donald Trump for insisting on putting national concerns first. Mexico is Latin America’s second-largest economy and a major trading partner of the U.S.

Many Mexicans have high expectations for López Obrador, who is limited to one six-year term, with no shot at re-election. A recent poll by the newspaper El Financiero indicated he has a 66 percent approval rating, while outgoing President Enrique Peña Nieto has only 26 percent.

“His supporters are looking for him to be the president of a new era in Mexico," said Jason Marczak, director of the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center. "He will also face the challenge of having to deliver quick wind for supporters who are incredibly anxious and eager of what his presidency might be."

Many crimes committed go unpunished in Mexico, where the murder rate is at a record high. Corruption and crime are not new, but AMLO capitalized on it as a left-leaning populist, campaigning on curbing violence by tackling poverty and inequality, which he vowed to uphold in his speech on Saturday.

In Mexico, even those who did not vote for him are expressing hope that he will bring positive change.

Graciela Romero, a business owner in a middle-class Mexico City neighborhood, is a supporter of the center-right PAN party. Her top issue is the economy, and she's upset that she has had to increase the price of the fruits and vegetables she sells to counter rising fuel prices.

“We are a rich country, yet we pay so much for gasoline,” she said.

López Obrador plans to revive Mexico’s oil industry by building a new refinery.

Nearly all of Mexico’s massive fuel imports come from the U.S. The refinery is also part of his agenda to focus on projects in the county’s more impoverished and underdeveloped region in the southeast, including his home state of Tabasco.

Jesús Hernández Tolentino, 48, a taxi driver from Mexico City, rents the car he uses for work at $15 a day. After paying for gas, his daily income is around $11. He said the price of gasoline was going up under the government of Peña Nieto.

“López Obrador has mentioned he is going to build a refinery and that the price of gasoline is going to decrease, and that is what we are hoping for,” Tolentino said. He has supported López Obrador’s political party since it was founded in 2014 and voted for him in all three elections he ran in.

Nervous investors have watched López Obrador’s transition period closely. Weeks before taking office, markets were rattled by announcements that the incoming administration would cancel a partially built $13 billion airport and impose limits on bank commissions.

AMLO tried to assuage those worries in his inaugural address.

“I promise, and I’m a man of my word, that the investments of foreign and international investors will be safe, and we will even create conditions that will allow them to get good returns,” he said, “because in Mexico there will be honesty, rule of law, clear rules, economic growth and confidence.”

But he made clear his agenda trying to narrow the nation's inequality.

“We are going to govern for everyone, but we are going to give preference to the most impoverished and vulnerable,” Lopez Obrador said. “For the good of all, the poor come first.’”

The rise of López Obrador comes at a time when Latin America has been moving towards right-wing leaders.

López Obrador campaigned for over 15 years as a leftist, defending the poor and was elected under his own political party. Traditionally Mexican politics were dominated by three parties: the centrist PRI, the conservative PAN, and the leftist PRD.

But it was the MORENA party that won Lopez Obrador a landslide victory. His MORENA party also won a majority in Congress, allowing him more freedom to change policy.

“He has enormous power,” said Eric Olson, a director at the Seattle International Foundation and advisor to the Woodrow Wilson Center. “Hopefully, he will use it for the good. But those are always risky situations as well.”

A key move to help combat corruption would be to have an independent attorney general, said Olson.

“That proposal has been on the table for a long time. But it’s not clear yet whether he will accept that the attorney general will be independent of the president,” he said.

A new NAFTA deal signed on Friday at the G20 meeting — called United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) — cleared a major obstacle for López Obrador, allowing him to focus on his domestic agenda. López Obrador had been a critic of the 1994 NAFTA, saying it had not done enough to improve the lives of Mexican workers.

But recognizing the importance of economic and financial-market stability, he praised the renegotiated USMCA deal.

The first foreign dignitaries that Lopez Obrador greeted as he took office were U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Ivanka Trump.

“I want to say that since July 1, the day I was elected, I have received respectful treatment from President Donald Trump”, Lopez Obrador said.

How López Obrador handles relations with Trump, who has sparred with Mexico over calls for a border wall, will be closely watched.

The recent migrant caravan, that has resulted in over 5,000 Central Americans camped out in a sports complex in Tijuana, recently presented López Obrador with a difficult task — appease Trump while upholding his position of defending the poor.

AMLO signaled on Tuesday he would be willing to house the migrants on Mexican soil while they apply for asylum in the U.S. — something Trump has demanded.

He also called on Trump to contribute to development projects to help create jobs in Central America to help stem the flow of migrants.

If Central American migrants continue to make their way to Mexico in large numbers for years to come, it could erupt into a political crisis for López Obrador.

But for the majority of Mexicans, Central American migrants are not top of mind.

Vanessa Calderón, 22, a third-year medical school student, has already decided she does not want to have children as she weighs what she sees around her and what she thinks is coming.

“There is going to be more insecurity, more unemployment, and I think more violence and intolerance,” said Calderón.

She did not vote for López Obrador, though most of her family did. Yet, she is still hopeful.

“With him, we hope there is change," she said. "I, as a young person, do not expect anything from the Mexican government because each time, we go from bad to worse.”

Olson said López Obrador “has created enormous expectations by talking about his government as the ‘fourth great era in Mexican history.’ When you talk in that kind of grandiose way, you worry that expectations are too high.”

Christopher Alvarez reported from Mexico City, and Carmen Sesín from Miami. The Associated Press contributed to this report</s>Mexico City — Andrés Manuel López Obrador takes the reins of governance on Saturday, becoming the most left-wing president Mexico has had in modern history. This comes at a time of growing frustration among Mexicans and high expectations for change.

Tired of the rampant corruption that plagues all levels of government as well as sky-high violence, Mexicans voted overwhelmingly for AMLO, as he is known, who won in a landslide.

During his campaign, López Obrador vowed to crack down on corruption. He called for austerity and pledged to slash his own salary and cap other public officials’ pay. Ditching the presidential jet is also in the plans of the 64-year-old former Mexico City mayor. He criticized his opponents, calling them “the mafia in power.”

Some have even compared López Obrador to Donald Trump for insisting to put national concerns first.

López Obrador will serve a six-year term, without possibility of reelection. Mexico is Latin America’s second largest economy and a major trading partner of the U.S.

Many Mexicans have high expectations for the new president. A recent poll by the newspaper El Financiero indicated López Obrador has a 66 percent approval rating, while outgoing President Enrique Peña Nieto has only 26 percent.

“His supporters are looking for him to be the president of a new era in Mexico. He will also face the challenge of having to deliver quick wind for supporters who are incredibly anxious and eager of what his presidency might be,” said Jason Marczak, director of the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center.

Many crimes committed go unpunished in this country with a record high murder rate. Corruption and crime are not new to Mexico, but AMLO capitalized on it as a left-leaning populist, campaigning on curbing violence by tackling poverty and inequality.

In Mexico, even those who did not vote for him are expressing hope he will bring positive change.

Graciela Romero, a business owner in a middle-class Mexico City neighborhood, is a supporter of the center-right PAN party. Her top issue is the economy. She's upset she's had to increase the price of the fruits and vegetables she sells to counter more expensive fuel prices.

“We are a rich country, yet we pay so much for gasoline,” she said.

López Obrador plans to revive Mexico’s oil industry by building a new oil refinery.

Nearly all of Mexico’s massive fuel imports come from the U.S. The refinery is also part of his agenda to focus on projects in the county’s more impoverished and underdeveloped region in the southeast, including his home state of Tabasco.

Jesús Hernández Tolentino, 48, a taxi driver from Mexico City, rents the car he uses for work at $15 a day. After paying for gas, his daily income is around $11. He said the price of gasoline was going up under the government of Peña Nieto.

“López Obrador has mentioned he is going to build a refinery and that the price of gasoline is going to decrease and that is what we are hoping for,” Tolentino said. He has supported López Obrador’s political party since it was founded in 2014 and voted for him in all three elections he ran in.

Nervous investors have watched López Obrador’s transition period closely. Weeks before taking office, markets were rattled by announcements that the incoming administration would cancel a partially-built $13 billion airport and impose limits on bank commissions.

The rise of López Obrador comes at a time when Latin America has been moving towards right-wing leaders.

López Obrador campaigned for over 15 years as a leftist, defending the poor and was elected under his own political party. Traditionally Mexican politics were dominated by three parties: the centrist PRI, the conservative PAN, and the leftist PRD.

But it was the MORENA party that won Lopez Obrador a landslide victory. His MORENA party also won a majority in Congress, allowing him more freedom to change policy.

“He has enormous power,” said Eric Olson, a director at the Seattle International Foundation and advisor to the Woodrow Wilson Center. “Hopefully, he will use it for the good. But those are always risky situations as well.”

A key move to help combat corruption would be to have an independent attorney general, said Olson.

“That proposal has been on the table for a long time. But it’s not clear yet whether he will accept that the attorney general will be independent of the president,” he said.

A new NAFTA deal — called United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) — reached in October cleared a major obstacle for López Obrador, allowing him to focus on his domestic agenda. López Obrador had been a critic of the 1994 NAFTA, saying it had not done enough to improve the lives of Mexican workers.

But recognizing the importance of economic and financial-market stability, he praised the renegotiated USMCA deal.

How López Obrador handles relations with Trump, who has sparred with Mexico over calls for a border wall, will be closely watched.

The recent migrant caravan, that has resulted in over 5,000 Central Americans camped out in a sports complex in Tijuana, recently presented López Obrador with a difficult task — appease Trump while upholding his position of defending the poor.

AMLO signaled on Tuesday he would be willing to house the migrants on Mexican soil while they apply for asylum in the U.S. — something Trump has demanded.

He also called on Trump to contribute to development projects to help create jobs in Central America to help stem the flow of migrants.

If Central American migrants continue to make their way to Mexico in large numbers for years to come, it could erupt into a political crisis for López Obrador.

But for the majority of Mexicans, Central American migrants are not top of mind.

Vanessa Calderón, 22, a third-year medical school student, has already decided she does not want to have children as she weighs what she sees around her and what she thinks is coming.

“There is going to be more insecurity, more unemployment, and I think more violence and intolerance,” said Calderón.

She did not vote for López Obrador, though most of her family did. Yet, she is still hopeful.

“With him, we hope there is change," she said. "I, as a young person, do not expect anything from the Mexican government because each time, we go from bad to worse.”

Olson said López Obrador “has created enormous expectations by talking about his government as the ‘fourth great era in Mexican history.’ When you talk in that kind of grandiose way, you worry that expectations are too high.”

Christopher Alvarez reported from Mexico and Carmen Sesín reported from Miami.</s>Leftwinger to be sworn in on wave of hope that he can fix poverty, corruption and crime on behalf of ordinary Mexicans

This article is more than 9 months old

This article is more than 9 months old

Mexico’s president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador will take power on Saturday on a wave of hope that he can transform the country on behalf of the poor and marginalized – and suspicions that he will not be able to fulfill such great expectations.

The silver-haired 64-year-old, who counts Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as a close friend, won a historic victory in July, bringing the Mexican left to power after 30 years of dashed expectations.

'It's a comfy plane': Mexico's Amlo seeks buyer for presidential jet Read more

Figures from around the world have been invited to the inauguration, including US vice-president Mike Pence, first daughter Ivanka Trump, Corbyn and – to the disgust of López Obrador’s domestic critics – Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro.

The man known as Amlo takes office as international attention focuses on a caravan of Central American migrants camped out at the US-Mexico border – the first foreign policy challenge of his administration.

Pundits had warned Amlo’s election would unleash a wave of latent anti-Americanism in response to Donald Trump’s racist provocations – but Mexicans seem more preoccupied with the domestic problems such as rampant corruption, persistent poverty and a militarized drug war that has left 200,000 dead.

Quick guide Mexico's war on drugs Show Hide Why did Mexico launch its war on drugs? On 10 December 2006, Felipe Calderón launched Mexico’s war on drugs by sending 6,500 troops into his home state of Michoacán, where rival cartels were engaged in tit-for-tat massacres. Calderón declared war eight days after taking power – a move widely seen as an attempt to boost his own legitimacy after a bitterly contested election victory. Within two months, around 20,000 troops were involved in operations. What has the war cost so far? The US has donated at least $1.5bn through the Merida Initiative since 2008, while Mexico spent at least $54bn on security and defence between 2007 and 2016. Critics say that this influx of cash has helped create an opaque security industry open to corruption.



But the biggest costs have been human: since 2007, over 250,000 people have been murdered, more than 40,000 reported as disappeared and 26,000 unidentified bodies in morgues across the country. Human rights groups have also detailed a vast rise in human rights abuses including torture, extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances by state security forces.



Peña Nieto claimed to have killed or detained 110 of 122 of his government's most wanted narcos. But his biggest victory – and most embarrassing blunder – was the recapture, escape, another recapture and extradition of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, leader of the Sinaloa cartel.

Mexico’s decade-long war on drugs would never have been possible without the injection of American cash and military cooperation under the Merida Initiative. The funds have continued to flow despite indisputable evidence of human rights violations.



Under new president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, murder rates are up and a new security force, the Civil Guard, is being deployed onto the streets despite campaign promises to end the drug war. What has been achieved? Improved collaboration between the US and Mexico has resulted in numerous high-profile arrests and drug busts. Officials say 25 of the 37 drug traffickers on Calderón’s most-wanted list have been jailed, extradited to the US or killed, although not all of these actions have been independently corroborated. The biggest victory – and most embarrassing blunder – under Peña Nieto’s leadership was the recapture, escape and another recapture of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, leader of the Sinaloa cartel. While the crackdown and capture of kingpins has won praise from the media and US, it has done little to reduce the violence. Photograph: Pedro Pardo/AFP

“We don’t like Trump, but we also understand that he’s a danger for the country – so if you can mollify the danger, so much the better,” said Federico Estévez, political science professor at ITAM, a private university.

With Amlo, “it’s about being Mexico-first, not being anti-gringo”, he added.

Amlo has promised to rule with frugality, selling the presidential plane, swapping limousines for a Volkswagen Jetta and taking a 60% pay cut – forcing other politicians and public servants to follow suit.

He takes power amid astronomical expectations from ordinary Mexicans.

“We need a change, to do what’s never been done before,” said Erik Yniesta, 44, an addictions counsellor.

“He took on the system and beat it. He was the only valid option,” said Eleonora Montes, a sales representative in Tijuana. “All our politicians steal. In a country that’s so poor, they come to power as a way to get rich.”

Such opinions reflect widespread disgust with the country’s mainstream politicians: outgoing president Enrique Peña Nieto leaves office with historically low approval ratings.

Peña Nieto was initially feted by international commentators for structural reforms – Time magazine featured him on a cover emblazoned with the words “Saving Mexico” – but his administration quickly became bogged down in corruption scandals and growing anger over the dismal economy.

Meanwhile, the country raced past a series of grim milestones with record numbers of homicides, but the president seemed uninterested in tackling the violence and corruption which beset ordinary Mexicans.

“He simply didn’t know how to deal with the problems his government faced,” said Javier Garza, an editor in the northern city of Torreón.

Amlo promises clean government and has argued that previously corrupt politicians will fall into line if the president sets a proper example.

Mexican president-elect's new plan to fight crime looks like the old plan Read more

But last week, he stunned the country by saying he wouldn’t pursue past cases of corruption, preferring instead to turn the page.

He further dismayed supporters by unveiling a plans for a new militarized national guard under military command – despite mounting evidence that Mexico’s armed forces have committed widespread human rights abuses in the name of the war on organized crimes.

Meanwhile, he has held a string of plebiscites before even taking office – overturning a proposed new airport in Mexico city and rubber-stamping a series of pet projects, including a new refinery in his home state and a “tourist” train to the Mayan ruins of Palenque.

All of the proposals were overwhelmingly approved – but on a turnout in single figures.

“These last few months have made it evident [his] project isn’t very clear,” said Diego Petersen Farah, a columnist with the Guadalajara newspaper El Informador. “There is a lot of improvisation and less intelligence than is necessary.”</s>(CNN) — Mexico swore in leftist leader Andrés Manuel López Obrador, known as AMLO, Saturday before a crowd that included world leaders and a strong majority in both houses of Congress.

López Obrador won a landslide victory in the July 1 presidential election and began his his six-year term promising to carry out a strong fight against corruption, insisting that the issue has been Mexico’s worst nightmare.

“Nothing has harmed Mexico more that the dishonesty of the rulers,” he said.

During his swearing-in, López Obrador reaffirmed his intentions to sell Mexico’s official presidential plane, to not live in the presidential palace and to cut his presidential salary by 40%. In an extraordinary move, López Obrador also announced his intention to promote a recall referendum during his administration, adding the promise that he “will never seek reelection.”

Promises also came with criticisms Saturday. López Obrador criticized the neoliberal model that has governed the Mexican economy in recent decades, saying that such policy “has been a disaster.”

López Obrador also criticized his unpopular predecessor, Enrique Peña Nieto, for introducing “harmful” economic strategies and announced immediate public investment to rescue state oil and electricity industries while proposing the creation of a special economic zone with lower taxes along Mexico’s border with the United States.

The leftist leader thanked the United States for sending Vice President Mike Pence and first daughter Ivanka Trump to his inauguration, stating that since winning the presidential election, he has been treated respectfully by President Donald Trump.

López Obrador also thanked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, stating he would like to reach an agreement with both Canada and the United States to tackle immigration issues.

At one point, the ceremony turned disruptive after López Obrador acknowledged Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro causing loud protests from a group of legislators holding a banner with the inscription “Maduro, you are not welcome” while chanting “dictator, dictator.” The feud lasted for a couple of minutes, even as López Obrador continued saluting other dignitaries.</s>Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took the oath of office Saturday as Mexico's first leftist president in over 70 years, marking a turning point in one of the world's most radical experiments in opening markets and privatization.In his first speech to Congress, Lopez Obrador pledged "a peaceful and orderly transition, but one that is deep and radical ... because we will end the corruption and impunity that prevent Mexico's rebirth."Mexico long had a closed, state-dominated economy, but since entering the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs in 1986, it has signed more free trade agreements than almost any other country, and privatized almost every corner of the economy except oil and electricity.Now, though, Lopez Obrador talks a talk not heard in Mexico since the 1960s: He wants to build more state-owned oil refineries and encourages Mexicans to "not to buy abroad, but to produce in Mexico what we consume."Even so, Lopez Obrador has tried to send conciliatory gestures to financial markets, which have been roiled in the weeks before he took office."I promise, and I'm a man of my word, that the investments of foreign and international investors will be safe, and we will even create conditions that will allow them to get good returns," he said, "because in Mexico there will be honesty, rule of law, clear rules, economic growth and confidence."But he also harkened back to his hero, President Lazaro Cardenas, who nationalized the oil industry and redistributed land during his 1934-40 administration."We are going to govern for everyone, but we are going to give preference to the most impoverished and vulnerable," Lopez Obrador said. "For the good of all, the poor come first.'"The first foreign dignitaries that Lopez Obrador greeted were U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Ivanka Trump."I want to say that since July 1, the day I was elected, I have received respectful treatment from President Donald Trump", Lopez Obrador said.But he faces a challenge with a caravan of thousands of Central American migrants camped out on the border, which Trump had threatened to close to keep them out.Lopez Obrador said he wanted to reach an agreement with the governments and companies in the U.S. and Canada to develop Central America and southern Mexico, so people wouldn't have to migrate - "to address in that way, and not with coercive measures, the migration phenomenon."That appeared to be an acknowledgment that Mexico is prepared to house migrants waiting to make asylum claims in the United States in exchange for U.S. development aid."The only person he (Lopez Obrador) can't afford to get in a fight with is Trump, because he knows he could derail his plan," said author and columnist Raymundo Riva Palacio. "He is willing to do the dirty work for them."Lopez Obrador was clear in blaming extreme market-oriented policies he calls neoliberalism for Mexico's problems."Mexico's crisis originated not only with the failure of the neoliberal policies applied over the last 36 years," he said in his inaugural speech, "but also in the prevalence of the filthiest corruption."Mexico's richest man, telecom magnate Carlos Slim, appeared to welcome the new president's pledge to rein in wasteful spending and fight corruption, saying: "Everybody wants spending to be efficiently managed."The rowdiest response from Congress came when Lopez Obrador pledged "not to persecute officials of past administrations," saying "revenge is not my strong suit."Legislators responded by counting loudly to 43 - the number of students kidnapped and disappeared in September 2014 - to remind Lopez Obrador of his promise to establish a truth commission to find out what happened to the students. He repeated that pledge Saturday. Prosecutors have said the students were kidnapped by corrupt police and turned over to a drug gang that killed them and burned their bodies.Lopez Obrador pledged to personally oversee daily 6 a.m. security briefings to confront the rising tide of violence in Mexico, and pledged to ban both oil and gas fracking and genetically modified crops.Combined with a deep sense of nationalism and his own place in history, Lopez Obrador's inauguration is the most home-grown, populist handover of power in decades.He was formally anointed leader by indigenous groups at a ceremony later in the day at Mexico City's main square. Mexico has more than 70 indigenous communities, and Lopez Obrador has pledged to end centuries of poverty and marginalization for them.Traditional healers brushed Lopez Obrador with bunches of herbs and blew incense smoke over him to purify him. They then invoked the spirits of their ancestors and the land to liberate him from any bad influences, turning to the four cardinal points with individual prayers.Activist Carmen Santiago Alonso then handed him a ceremonial wooden staff denoting leadership. It was the first time a Mexican president had ever taken part in this kind of ceremonial inauguration by indigenous groups."What we want, what we desire is to purify public life in Mexico," Lopez Obrador said. "I repeat my commitment: I will not lie, I will not steal or betray the people of Mexico."The country's 65-year-old new leader is moving the presidential office fully back to the centuries-old National Palace that lines one side of the square, while refusing to live at the luxurious, heavily guarded presidential residence 6 miles (9 kilometers) to the west. He will reside instead at his private home.Closed to the public since the first parts were built in the 1930s, the compound will now be used for public events and it was thrown open to the public Saturday.Gabriela Barrientos, a retired secretary, and Jesus Basilio, a market vendor, were among the first to line up at the gate to enter what Basilio called "the house of the people, an emblematic place we will be able to enter for the first time."Yaneth Fierro, a housewife from Acapulco, expressed amazement at the luxury of the compound - there was a small cinema in the basement of one building - but disappointment at completely emptied rooms. "We wanted to see the furniture, but the 'Gaviota' (the nickname of former first lady Angelica Rivera) took them all."The handover of power began at midnight when new Cabinet secretaries were sworn in for key security posts - a tradition meant to ensure there's always someone at the helm of the army, navy and Interior Department, the country's top domestic security agency.New Interior Secretary Olga Sanchez Cordero said in a post-midnight ceremony that the new government will "listen to everybody, the majority and the minorities, because in a democracy all opinions can be expressed."Lopez Obrador gained prominence as a leftist politician leading protests against oil pollution in his swampy native state of Tabasco, though he hasn't given any indication that he will cancel private oil exploration contracts or pull out of Mexico's free trade agreements with 44 countries.Lopez Obrador won a crushing victory in the July 1 elections after two previous, unsuccessful runs for the presidency and he is the country's first president since the Mexican Revolution to rise to prominence as a protest leader. He sees his inauguration as a historic "fourth transformation" of Mexico, following independence from Spain, the liberal reforms that broke the church's dominance in the 1850s and the 1910-1917 revolution.Lopez Obrador's predecessor, Enrique Pena Nieto, leaves office with a historically low approval rating, which in several polls ranged from 20 percent to 24 percent. Pena Nieto failed to rein in Mexico's rising homicide rate or deal with thousands of Central American migrants camped out on the border, leaving both intractable issues as the biggest immediate challenges facing Lopez Obrador.</s>MEXICO CITY — Mexicans line up outside a red and white house in this city’s Roma neighborhood to deliver petitions, proposals and pleas for interventions to the country’s president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador – who officially takes office on Saturday.

David Galvan, 54, brought his résumé, hoping to find work as a construction engineer on one of the many megaprojects López Obrador has proposed in his “project for the nation.” He also hoped López Obrador – commonly called “AMLO” – would implement an ambitious change agenda, which AMLO’s promoted as the “fourth transformation” in Mexican history.

“We’re looking for change,” said Galvan, who expressed some bitterness at being underemployed – something attributed to graft in a government project he was supposed to work on. “Eliminating corruption is the most important thing because it’s eating away at the country in every way imaginable.”

López Obrador overwhelming won Mexico’s presidential election July 1 in a landslide, claiming 53 percent of the vote and majorities in both houses of Congress. As a left-leaning and populist, he campaigned on curtailing corruption and bringing about change. It’s been a familiar theme in Mexican politics over the past 25 years, but an elusive one given Mexico’s longstanding political culture of patronage and graft even with the onset of multi-party elections.

A three-time presidential candidate, the 64-year-old López Obrador has cut a controversial path through Mexican politics for decades. He’s a self-styled anti-system politician, who condemns his opponents as “the mafia in power” – yet he’s funded his political activities with the generous public pesos bestowed on political parties.

Mostly, though, he capitalized on discontent over corruption scandals that consumed the outgoing president Enrique Peña Nieto’s six years in office. It caused anger in a country where 43 percent of the population is considered poor and politics is seen as the road to riches.

López Obrador has promised to increase social spending and cut poverty. He’s also made austerity his calling card: he takes commercial flights, is chauffeured in a Volkswagen Jetta and promises to take a 40 percent pay cut — meaning he’ll earn 108,000 pesos per month ($5,300 a month). New laws mean no public servant can earn more than him.

“You can’t have a rich government and poor people,” he often quips. Andrés Manuel López Obrador:

López Obrador has pushed his populism further with a series of “consultations,” hastily called referendums organized by his transition team. The consultations have attracted less than one percent of the population (mostly loyalists) to the polls – and prompted critics to condemn the process as rigged to induce the president-elect’s preferred outcomes.

One such consultation in late October led to López Obrador canceling construction of a new $13 billion airport for Mexico City. Another consultation with even less participation saw his plans for megaprojects – building railways through Yucatán Peninsula and across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, a refinery in his home state of Tabasco and planting a million hectares of trees across southern Mexico – all approved with roughly 90 percent support.

López Obrador’s consultations and willingness to cancel existing projects – and his hostility to private sector participation in Mexico’s previously nationalized oil industry – have spooked investors.

The peso has plunged to levels not seen since President Donald Trump’s 2016 election and bond yields have increased. A proposal from his partisans in Congress to cut bank commissions sent the stock market sliding.

“The airport decision has made every investor question the validity of his statements, coupled with (his allies’) initiatives,” said Horacio Coutiño, an economic analyst.

Analysts say López Obrador cleaves to a vision of Mexico from previous decades, when state planning was paramount and the private sector was subservient to the president – something that’s shifted as Mexico abandoned a closed economy for free and open trade.

Still, López Obrador promises not to raise taxes and to respect central bank independence. He also signed onto the new North American Free Trade Agreement (United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement or USMCA), though he’s complained about slow growth and stagnant salaries since Mexico embraced free trade. He’s also promised no expropriations.

Many on the Mexican left express disquiet with his transition, too, especially his plans to combat drug cartels and rising crime with a militarized police – after previously pledging to get soldiers off the streets. His comments on corruption also confused the country. He said he wouldn’t go after politicians accused of pilfering the public purse, preferring instead to turn the page and positing that others will follow his austere example after he takes office.

“Revenge isn’t my strong suit,” he told reporters recently. “I don’t think it’s good for the country that we get bogged down pursuing accusations of corruption.”

While investors and pundits express worry, the public has shown optimism for the incoming administration. A survey from the newspaper El Financiero found that López Obrador had a 66 percent approval rating compared to just 26 percent for Peña Nieto. Some 70 percent of Mexicans expect the economy to improve and poverty to drop under López Obrador; 67 percent think security will improve.

“(López Obrador) Achilles heel is the excessive demands of his voters,” Viridiana Ríos, a political analyst, wrote in El País, Spain’s biggest newspaper.

At the same time, AMLO’s opponents fail to understand their crushing election defeat and “continue asking themselves why people aren’t disillusioned with López Obrador without realizing the biggest disillusionment is with the status quo,” wrote Rios.

López Obrador is expected to return Mexico to its traditional foreign policy not criticizing or opining on the internal affairs of other countries, but expecting similar treatment in return. He’s promised “respect” for the United States and Trump. And Trump has spoken well of the incoming Mexican president.

Trump will be in Argentina over the weekend for the Group of 20 Nations summit, but Vice President Mike Pence and Trump’s daughter and presidential adviser Ivanka Trump will attend AMLO’s inauguration.

López Obrador oddly draws comparisons to Trump: both bash media outlets they dislike, speak of conspiracies and act like elites and “the deep state is out to get them,” said Jeffrey Weldon a professor at ITAM, a private university.

He promised in the campaign that he wouldn’t “do the dirty work of foreign governments,” when speaking of Central American migrants transiting Mexico. But he’s not repeated that pledge and appears willing to do a deal with Trump on migrants and developing Central America. Trump has deployed military troops to the border and sought to tighten asylum rules to secure the southern border.

“López Obrador is about a Mexico-first platform not an anti-US platform,” said Federico Estévez, an ITAM professor. “Why would he choose to play a losing hand (and confront Trump) for another two years?”</s>Anti-establishment leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will be sworn in as Mexico's next president on Saturday -- a dramatic change in direction for a country fed up with corruption, poverty and crime.

ALSO READ: China optimistic on US talks at G20 summit

The man widely known as "AMLO" is promising a sweeping "transformation" after 89 years of government by the same two parties.

And he appears to have the mandate he needs to deliver it: he won a landslide victory in the July 1 elections, together with strong majorities in both houses of Congress for his coalition -- led by the party he founded just four years ago, Morena.

It was the biggest win for any president, and the first for a leftist, since Mexico transitioned to a multi-party democracy in 2000.

But the sharp-tongued, silver-haired leader inherits a sticky set of problems from his unpopular predecessor, Enrique Pena Nieto.

They include endemic corruption, gruesome violence fueled by the war on drug cartels, and the caravan of 6,000 Central American migrants camped at the US-Mexican border -- not to mention the minefield that diplomacy with Mexico's giant northern neighbor has become under President Donald Trump.

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Lopez Obrador, a 65-year-old former protest leader and Mexico City mayor, has been short on specifics regarding his plans for all of the above.

Critics accuse him of being an authoritarian radical.

ALSO READ: Trump criticizes GM for making cars in China

And despite his promises of fiscal responsibility and business-friendly policies, the markets are fearful for the future of Latin America's second-largest economy: Mexican stocks and the peso have plunged in recent weeks.

Dismissing such fears, Lopez Obrador is promising a presidency like no other in Mexican history.

Vowing to lead his anti-corruption, pro-austerity drive by example, he plans to forego the presidential residence and live in his modest home, sell the presidential jet and fly commercial instead, cut his own salary by 60 percent, and eliminate the presidential security detail.

- Change in style - After taking the oath of office, Lopez Obrador will head to Mexico City's central square, the Zocalo, to receive a chieftain's staff and give a speech -- it's the same place where he celebrated his election victory in July 2018, as seen here. [AFP/File / PEDRO PARDO]

His inauguration will also look different from that of any previous president.

After taking the oath of office and slipping on the presidential sash before Congress -- the usual ceremony -- Lopez Obrador plans to go to Mexico City's central square, the Zocalo, to receive a chieftain's staff, in a colorful new take on a traditional indigenous ceremony.

A massive crowd of supporters is expected at the square where, in between a series of concerts by famous musicians, Lopez Obrador will give a second speech from the National Palace.

That long-disused seat of power is where the new president plans to install his offices -- sending a message on the kind of change he represents.

With a history that dates back to Aztec times and walls covered in murals by iconic painter and communist Diego Rivera, the palace is a far cry from the current presidential headquarters, Los Pinos -- a sprawling complex that sits in a leafy park, isolated from the bustle of the capital.

The guest list includes a host of regional presidents -- one of whom, to the chagrin of Mexico's conservative opposition, is crisis-torn Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro -- King Felipe VI of Spain, and US Vice President Mike Pence, accompanied by his boss's daughter and adviser, Ivanka Trump. Map of the US-Mexico border -- Donald Trump is pressuring new Mexican leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to accept a deal to keep asylum-seeking migrants in Mexico while their claims are processed in the United States. [AFP/File / AFP]

President Trump, who is at the G20 summit in Argentina, has struck up a surprisingly warm relationship with Lopez Obrador so far -- though the migrant caravan threatens to interrupt that honeymoon.

The American president is pressuring Lopez Obrador to accept a deal to keep asylum-seeking migrants in Mexico while their claims are processed in the United States.

Lopez Obrador's foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, is due in Washington on Sunday for talks on the issue with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

ALSO READ: US to sign free trade deal in Argentina</s>Andrés Manuel López Obrador showed a sneak preview of his ruling style during a busy transition period, one filled with broken promises and big changes.

MEXICO CITY — Five months after winning in a landslide victory that set off a wave of euphoria in the country and engaging in a flurry of activity on par with that of a sitting head of state, Andrés Manuel López Obrador will finally be sworn into office Saturday as the 63rd president of Mexico. López Obrador, a headstrong leftist who traveled the length of the country painting himself as a father figure for Mexico with his message in favor of the disenfranchised during two previous failed presidential runs, wasted no time attempting to set Mexico on track with his vision even before taking the reins. “This is the busiest transition we’ve ever had,” said Hernán Gómez Bruera, a political analyst. “It’s totally unique and that has pros and cons.” If recent months are any indication of how he will govern, López Obrador can be expected to backpedal on key campaign promises made to his base — including vows to crack down on corruption and pull the military off the streets — in order to focus on other parts of an ambitious domestic agenda that the incoming president has described as a "transformation" on par with the Mexican Revolution and independence from Spain. On Monday, a poll by El Universal newspaper revealed that López Obrador’s approval had fallen by 9 points, from 65% to 56%, during the previous three months. Another survey by El Financiero, also published Monday, set his approval rating at 66%, compared to outgoing president Enrique Peña Nieto’s 26% approval. “There is a certain level of disenchantment,” said Carlos Luis Sánchez y Sánchez, an expert in public opinion at Mexico’s National Autonomous University. “He has spent the honeymoon that most presidents get during the first hundred days in office even before starting his mandate.”

That mandate will be unprecedented: The party that López Obrador founded, Morena, will hold a majority over both houses of Congress, as well as the majority of state-level legislatures. Some critics view this as a blank check for López Obrador to make controversial — and potentially divisive — decisions when confronting the challenges his administration will face, including a growing murder epidemic, widespread poverty, a shaky currency and fear among foreign investors, and a deepening immigration crisis that could set him on a collision course with Trump. Despite this, López Obrador has said he wants the people’s will to govern his decision-making. To make that happen, he has announced he will be holding “public consultations” throughout his six-year term. But based on the two referendums his team has carried out in recent months, the practice could erode his administration’s legitimacy. On Nov. 12, López Obrador traveled to Mérida, in Yucatán state, to meet with the governors of the states through which one of his signature projects, a 900-mile railway line connecting tourist destinations in southern Mexico, would pass. That day, the group announced that construction for the project would begin in December, despite concerns from academics and environmentalists. The plebiscite for the train was still almost two weeks away, making the vote something of a moot point. His first referendum, on whether to continue building the new Mexico City airport, was plagued with procedural errors and tiny participation (barely 1% of the electorate took part in the exercise, and people reported voting numerous times in different polling stations). Still, the president-elect slashed the project, deepening investors’ previous fears about López Obrador’s interactions with businesses and causing the peso to tumble. While he has sought to bring his signature projects to life at all costs, López Obrador has at the same time reversed his position on several campaign promises. Despite vowing to end graft as a pillar of his campaign, he announced this month that rather than prosecute politicians who committed acts of corruption before Dec. 1, he will issue a pardon for them. (He gave no details on what that would look like.)

And while he ran on the catchy motto of “hugs, not bullets” and vowed to remove Mexico’s military from the streets, López Obrador said this month that he will propose amending the constitution to allow for the creation of a national guard, a force of 50,000 military and federal police under the command of the army, tasked with pacifying the country. Experts say the national guard marks a continuation, and perhaps a deepening, of his predecessors’ failed military strategy against drug cartels. Perhaps, security analyst Alejandro Hope told BuzzFeed News, López Obrador is already feeling the pressure and looking for the quickest way out. “It unsettles him to know that the number of homicide victims will start piling up on December 1st,” said Hope. López Obrador, who proved himself intractable during his time as mayor of Mexico City and after his first failed presidential run, began to show an incipient flexibility during his last campaign, embracing a more inclusive discourse. Signs that the trait could become a permanent part of his personality emerged during the transition too. For months, López Obrador said he would forgo security because “the people would protect” him. After a lengthy campaign by his wife, Beatriz Gutiérrez, to convince him to accept a security detail, López Obrador at last gave in. This recent conciliatory streak could come in handy when dealing with one of his biggest challenges: Trump. While he once referred to Trump as “arrogant” and a “show off,” López Obrador has managed to forge a cordial, even friendly relationship with his US counterpart. In a July letter to Trump, López Obrador said they should seek a “common path” and urged him to conclude the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The US, Mexico, and Canada signed off on the new deal Friday — but it still needs to get approval from the US Congress.

Throughout the transition period, López Obrador’s team has already been forging ties with Trump’s team. After the migrant caravan arrived in Tijuana in early November, BuzzFeed News reported that the Trump administration was holding talks with the Mexican government on a proposal that would force people to wait in Mexico for their immigration cases to be processed. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has already met with incoming foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard twice — once on Oct. 19 and then again the following month. Trump has asked Mexico to stop the caravans; López Obrador has promised to offer jobs and visas to Central Americans who flee rampant poverty and widespread insecurity in their countries. “He won’t fight with Trump unless it’s absolutely necessary,” said Bruera. “If the tone changes, it will be Trump’s fault, not López Obrador’s.”</s>MEXICO CITY — When Andrés Manuel López Obrador takes the reins of governance on Saturday, he will be the most left-wing president Mexico has had in its modern history — and at a time of growing frustration among Mexicans and high expectations for change.

Tired of the rampant corruption that plagues all levels of government, as well as sky-high violence, Mexicans voted overwhelmingly for AMLO, as López Obrador is known, giving him a landslide victory.

During his campaign, López Obrador vowed to crack down on corruption, called for economic austerity and pledged to slash his own salary — ditching the presidential jet is also in his plans — and cap other public officials’ pay. López Obrador, 64, a former Mexico City mayor, criticized his opponents during the campaign, calling them “the mafia in power.”

Some have even compared López Obrador to Donald Trump for insisting on putting national concerns first. Mexico is Latin America’s second-largest economy and a major trading partner of the U.S.

Many Mexicans have high expectations for López Obrador, who is limited to one six-year term, with no shot at re-election. A recent poll by the newspaper El Financiero indicated he has a 66 percent approval rating, while outgoing President Enrique Peña Nieto has only 26 percent.

“His supporters are looking for him to be the president of a new era in Mexico," said Jason Marczak, director of the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center. "He will also face the challenge of having to deliver quick wind for supporters who are incredibly anxious and eager of what his presidency might be."

Many crimes committed go unpunished in Mexico, where the murder rate is at a record high. Corruption and crime are not new, but AMLO capitalized on it as a left-leaning populist, campaigning on curbing violence by tackling poverty and inequality.

In Mexico, even those who did not vote for him are expressing hope that he will bring positive change.

Graciela Romero, a business owner in a middle-class Mexico City neighborhood, is a supporter of the center-right PAN party. Her top issue is the economy, and she's upset that she has had to increase the price of the fruits and vegetables she sells to counter rising fuel prices.

“We are a rich country, yet we pay so much for gasoline,” she said.

López Obrador plans to revive Mexico’s oil industry by building a new refinery.

Nearly all of Mexico’s massive fuel imports come from the U.S. The refinery is also part of his agenda to focus on projects in the county’s more impoverished and underdeveloped region in the southeast, including his home state of Tabasco.

Jesús Hernández Tolentino, 48, a taxi driver from Mexico City, rents the car he uses for work at $15 a day. After paying for gas, his daily income is around $11. He said the price of gasoline was going up under the government of Peña Nieto.

“López Obrador has mentioned he is going to build a refinery and that the price of gasoline is going to decrease, and that is what we are hoping for,” Tolentino said. He has supported López Obrador’s political party since it was founded in 2014 and voted for him in all three elections he ran in.

Nervous investors have watched López Obrador’s transition period closely. Weeks before taking office, markets were rattled by announcements that the incoming administration would cancel a partially built $13 billion airport and impose limits on bank commissions.

The rise of López Obrador comes at a time when Latin America has been moving towards right-wing leaders.

López Obrador campaigned for over 15 years as a leftist, defending the poor and was elected under his own political party. Traditionally Mexican politics were dominated by three parties: the centrist PRI, the conservative PAN, and the leftist PRD.

But it was the MORENA party that won Lopez Obrador a landslide victory. His MORENA party also won a majority in Congress, allowing him more freedom to change policy.

“He has enormous power,” said Eric Olson, a director at the Seattle International Foundation and advisor to the Woodrow Wilson Center. “Hopefully, he will use it for the good. But those are always risky situations as well.”

A key move to help combat corruption would be to have an independent attorney general, said Olson.

“That proposal has been on the table for a long time. But it’s not clear yet whether he will accept that the attorney general will be independent of the president,” he said.

A new NAFTA deal — called United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) — reached in October cleared a major obstacle for López Obrador, allowing him to focus on his domestic agenda. López Obrador had been a critic of the 1994 NAFTA, saying it had not done enough to improve the lives of Mexican workers.

But recognizing the importance of economic and financial-market stability, he praised the renegotiated USMCA deal.

How López Obrador handles relations with Trump, who has sparred with Mexico over calls for a border wall, will be closely watched.

The recent migrant caravan, that has resulted in over 5,000 Central Americans camped out in a sports complex in Tijuana, recently presented López Obrador with a difficult task — appease Trump while upholding his position of defending the poor.

AMLO signaled on Tuesday he would be willing to house the migrants on Mexican soil while they apply for asylum in the U.S. — something Trump has demanded.

He also called on Trump to contribute to development projects to help create jobs in Central America to help stem the flow of migrants.

If Central American migrants continue to make their way to Mexico in large numbers for years to come, it could erupt into a political crisis for López Obrador.

But for the majority of Mexicans, Central American migrants are not top of mind.

Vanessa Calderón, 22, a third-year medical school student, has already decided she does not want to have children as she weighs what she sees around her and what she thinks is coming.

“There is going to be more insecurity, more unemployment, and I think more violence and intolerance,” said Calderón.

She did not vote for López Obrador, though most of her family did. Yet, she is still hopeful.

“With him, we hope there is change," she said. "I, as a young person, do not expect anything from the Mexican government because each time, we go from bad to worse.”

Olson said López Obrador “has created enormous expectations by talking about his government as the ‘fourth great era in Mexican history.’ When you talk in that kind of grandiose way, you worry that expectations are too high.”

Christopher Alvarez reported from Mexico City, and Carmen Sesín from Miami.</s>Mexico City — Andrés Manuel López Obrador takes the reins of governance on Saturday, becoming the most left-wing president Mexico has had in modern history. This comes at a time of growing frustration among Mexicans and high expectations for change.

Tired of the rampant corruption that plagues all levels of government as well as sky-high violence, Mexicans voted overwhelmingly for AMLO, as he is known, who won in a landslide.

During his campaign, López Obrador vowed to crack down on corruption. He called for austerity and pledged to slash his own salary and cap other public officials’ pay. Ditching the presidential jet is also in the plans of the 64-year-old former Mexico City mayor. He criticized his opponents, calling them “the mafia in power.”

Some have even compared López Obrador to Donald Trump for insisting to put national concerns first.

López Obrador will serve a six-year term, without possibility of reelection. Mexico is Latin America’s second largest economy and a major trading partner of the U.S.

Many Mexicans have high expectations for the new president. A recent poll by the newspaper El Financiero indicated López Obrador has a 66 percent approval rating, while outgoing President Enrique Peña Nieto has only 26 percent.

“His supporters are looking for him to be the president of a new era in Mexico. He will also face the challenge of having to deliver quick wind for supporters who are incredibly anxious and eager of what his presidency might be,” said Jason Marczak, director of the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center.

Many crimes committed go unpunished in this country with a record high murder rate. Corruption and crime are not new to Mexico, but AMLO capitalized on it as a left-leaning populist, campaigning on curbing violence by tackling poverty and inequality.

In Mexico, even those who did not vote for him are expressing hope he will bring positive change.

Graciela Romero, a business owner in a middle-class Mexico City neighborhood, is a supporter of the center-right PAN party. Her top issue is the economy. She's upset she's had to increase the price of the fruits and vegetables she sells to counter more expensive fuel prices.

“We are a rich country, yet we pay so much for gasoline,” she said.

López Obrador plans to revive Mexico’s oil industry by building a new oil refinery.

Nearly all of Mexico’s massive fuel imports come from the U.S. The refinery is also part of his agenda to focus on projects in the county’s more impoverished and underdeveloped region in the southeast, including his home state of Tabasco.

Jesús Hernández Tolentino, 48, a taxi driver from Mexico City, rents the car he uses for work at $15 a day. After paying for gas, his daily income is around $11. He said the price of gasoline was going up under the government of Peña Nieto.

“López Obrador has mentioned he is going to build a refinery and that the price of gasoline is going to decrease and that is what we are hoping for,” Tolentino said. He has supported López Obrador’s political party since it was founded in 2014 and voted for him in all three elections he ran in.

Nervous investors have watched López Obrador’s transition period closely. Weeks before taking office, markets were rattled by announcements that the incoming administration would cancel a partially-built $13 billion airport and impose limits on bank commissions.

The rise of López Obrador comes at a time when Latin America has been moving towards right-wing leaders.

López Obrador campaigned for over 15 years as a leftist, defending the poor and was elected under his own political party. Traditionally Mexican politics were dominated by three parties: the centrist PRI, the conservative PAN, and the leftist PRD.

But it was the MORENA party that won Lopez Obrador a landslide victory. His MORENA party also won a majority in Congress, allowing him more freedom to change policy.

“He has enormous power,” said Eric Olson, a director at the Seattle International Foundation and advisor to the Woodrow Wilson Center. “Hopefully, he will use it for the good. But those are always risky situations as well.”

A key move to help combat corruption would be to have an independent attorney general, said Olson.

“That proposal has been on the table for a long time. But it’s not clear yet whether he will accept that the attorney general will be independent of the president,” he said.

A new NAFTA deal — called United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) — reached in October cleared a major obstacle for López Obrador, allowing him to focus on his domestic agenda. López Obrador had been a critic of the 1994 NAFTA, saying it had not done enough to improve the lives of Mexican workers.

But recognizing the importance of economic and financial-market stability, he praised the renegotiated USMCA deal.

How López Obrador handles relations with Trump, who has sparred with Mexico over calls for a border wall, will be closely watched.

The recent migrant caravan, that has resulted in over 5,000 Central Americans camped out in a sports complex in Tijuana, recently presented López Obrador with a difficult task — appease Trump while upholding his position of defending the poor.

AMLO signaled on Tuesday he would be willing to house the migrants on Mexican soil while they apply for asylum in the U.S. — something Trump has demanded.

He also called on Trump to contribute to development projects to help create jobs in Central America to help stem the flow of migrants.

If Central American migrants continue to make their way to Mexico in large numbers for years to come, it could erupt into a political crisis for López Obrador.

But for the majority of Mexicans, Central American migrants are not top of mind.

Vanessa Calderón, 22, a third-year medical school student, has already decided she does not want to have children as she weighs what she sees around her and what she thinks is coming.

“There is going to be more insecurity, more unemployment, and I think more violence and intolerance,” said Calderón.

She did not vote for López Obrador, though most of her family did. Yet, she is still hopeful.

“With him, we hope there is change," she said. "I, as a young person, do not expect anything from the Mexican government because each time, we go from bad to worse.”

Olson said López Obrador “has created enormous expectations by talking about his government as the ‘fourth great era in Mexican history.’ When you talk in that kind of grandiose way, you worry that expectations are too high.”

Christopher Alvarez reported from Mexico and Carmen Sesín reported from Miami.
Andrés Manuel López Obrador is sworn in as the 58th President of Mexico.