Popular Mexican president gives first state of the union, but some remain unimpressed
Record ID:
1429517
Popular Mexican president gives first state of the union, but some remain unimpressed
- Title: Popular Mexican president gives first state of the union, but some remain unimpressed
- Date: 1st September 2019
- Summary: VARIOUS, BUSKER IN MIDDLE OF PROTEST
- Embargoed: 15th September 2019 21:52
- Keywords: opposition new state of the union Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speech address problems crime Mexico protest
- Location: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
- City: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
- Country: Mexico
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA002AUTTZ5Z
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador gave his first state of the union address on Sunday (September 1) with the economy flirting with recession, murders reaching record levels - and his popularity riding high.
After taking office in December vowing to revive a sluggish economy and bring down violence, the veteran leftist Lopez Obrador has so far fallen short of the goals he set himself.
Mexico had to contend with the risk of economic disruption from abroad when U.S. President Donald Trump in May threatened to slap tariffs on all Mexican goods if the country did not curb U.S.-bound migration from Central America.
Lopez Obrador responded by sending thousands of National Guardsmen to Mexico's borders and has accepted thousands of asylum seekers while they await court hearings in the United States.
Lopez Obrador insists he wants no dispute with the United States and the episode has done little to dent his popularity.
Crime, however, remains a major issue in Mexico. During the first eight months of Lopez Obrador's administration, 19,642 murder investigations were opened, up more than 4% from the same period a year earlier, according to official data.
An Aug. 20-24 survey of 1,000 Mexicans for newspaper El Universal showed Lopez Obrador had the support of 69% of respondents, slightly up on the results of a June poll.
But, not everyone is impressed: the survey showed that more than 54% of respondents believed the president was not coping with Mexico's problems. Only 38% took the opposite view.
Some of that displeasure was evident in Mexico City on Sunday when hundreds of people took to the city's iconic Reforma Avenue to protest Lopez Obrador and his policies.
Protesters told Reuters that while they do not view Lopez Obrador as corrupt as previous presidents, they oppose his economic policies and "lies."
(Production: Josue Gonzalez, Roberto Ramirez, Manuel Carrillo) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: Audio restrictions: This clip's Audio includes copyrighted material. User is responsible for obtaining additional clearances before publishing the audio contained in this clip.