López Obrador, Andrés Manuel (1953–)

Andrés Manuel López Obrador also known as AMLO, el Pejelagarto, el Peje, and Jefe de Gobierno, was born November 13, 1953, in Tabasco, Mexico, a rich oil-producing region surrounded by poverty. Through his early experiences in Tabasco, López Obrador developed an affinity toward social justice causes. Growing up in a lower-middle-class family, he was motivated in [Page 873]helping the vast underclass of his region. His focus on assisting and developing the underclass is exemplified by his early work with the Chontal Indians. López Obrador and his family settled in Tucta to live among the Chontal. In a community stricken by poverty, plagued with contaminated water, lacking in electricity and health services, he established public and welfare programs to alleviate the plight of the Chontal.

López Obrador's social activism continued throughout his political career. Early in his career, he joined the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) with hopes of advancing his agenda to assist the under-class. He grew disenchanted with the party and resigned in 1988 to join leftist-nationalist Cuauhtemoc Cardenas in launching the Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD) in 1989. In 1994, as a PRD candidate, López Obrador ran for governor of Tabasco and lost. He attributed the loss to ballot fraud. Unrelenting in his quest to serve the common people, he became the leader of the PRD in 1996. By 2000, he had been elected the head of government (jefe de gobierno) for the city of Mexico.

As the jefe de gobierno of Mexico City, López Obrador instituted his populist agenda: pensions and social programs for senior citizens, the disabled, and single mothers; new school construction; and funds for health care, housing, and infrastructure. He hired Rudolph Giuliani, former mayor of New York City, to craft a zero-tolerance crime policy. Critics contend that his initiatives depleted the city budget, resulted in little impact on crime, and contributed to corruption. The lavish gambling lifestyle of his finance secretary and the acceptance of bribes by his assembly leader are examples noted by his critics.

In July 2005, López Obrador resigned his post as jefe de gobierno to seek the presidency of Mexico. President Vicente Fox and the national congress attempted to impeach him and remove his fuero (immunity from criminal charges given to elected officials) in order to prevent López Obrador's participation in the 2006 presidential electoral process. The charges were dropped because of legal technicalities and major demonstrations. López Obrador proceeded to run for president under his left-of-center populist agenda. The agenda included renegotiation of NAFTA, improved tax collection, creation of jobs, economic stability, reduction of emigration, elimination of corruption and bureaucratic waste, and transformation of Mexico into a country with a better quality of life for the poor.

The July 2006 presidential results gave Felipe Calderón, Partido de Acción Nacional (PAN: National Action Party) candidate, a 0.58-percentage-point winning margin. López Obrador contested the results, claiming voting irregularities. The Federal Electoral Tribunal initiated a recount on 9% of the votes and subsequently declared Calderon had won the election. López Obrador continues to contest the outcome, mobilizing his supporters to, if necessary, create a parallel government.

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