What can the global left learn from Mexico – where far-right politics hasn’t taken off? | Thomas Graham
If you are to summarize the election year for 2024, you may say: Destious for the occupants of its occupants, good for the far right. After Mexico, both directions won. Her ruling party, Maurina, not only kept the presidency, but also kept – alongside her Partners In the Sigamos Haciendo Historia alliance-he got two-thirds of the Great Generations in the House of Representatives, the lower house, while the extreme right failed to manage a candidate. The self -described left party can achieve this success by reforming the tremendous inequality in Mexico has drawn attention from the last progressive progressive worldwide. But Maurina has some unusual elements as well. Not others can necessarily – or want it – completely copy it.
Maurina first achieved a historic result in 2018, when Andre Manuel Lopez Obrador, an old face from the left that was nominated for the presidency twice before the party’s founding, won 55 % of votes during the general elections. The Mexico Constitution limits presidents to one state. But this time, Claudia Shinbom, a close ally of Lopez Obrador, 60 % won From voting. Its victory reminded us of the “pink tide” in Latin America, when left -wing leaders such as Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales were re -elected for a second period more than their initial victories.
Meanwhile, the far right did not even get the poll. Eduardo Ferrasei, actor turned into a productive activist Voice of FreedomHitting the sudden box office from an American federal agent that penetrates a child tracking episode in Colombia, sought to bring Trump’s policy to Mexico, but he failed to collect the signatures required for running as an independent. Instead of developing a Mexican brand of extremist right -wing policy, Verástegui tried to plant a distinctive American flavor that was heavy with God, rifles and individual. He did not take root.
Mourina’s success in building a left movement stems from the party’s focus on social and economic justice. Lopez Oberrador has developed a simple and strong populist narration, on the pretext that the country was arrested by the corrupt elites, including the old political parties and their national commercial partners and throughout the patriotism. This resonates with people in Mexico, which is an unequal country in which approximately 27 % of income It accumulates to the richest 1 %.
Lopez Obrador promised to change this. Caricma and his long record in Mexico He made a convincing way to the message, which he distributed to the house on trips to every corner of the country and daily press conferences known as the name Manaranras. In this, he described the achievements of his government, took its critics, and formed the media schedule. MERENA’s message was amplified by social media, creating a kind of personality worship about LUGEZ Obrador.
Peace. The Labiz Obrador government has doubled the minimum wage in real terms, with the expansion of social programs and cash transfers for retirees and youth, among others. He – she Installed On the practice of workers, the use of external sources to avoid paying the advantages and legislation that is placed in the union contracts Democratic voices. Infrastructure projects have focused on the marginal south, the trains of construction and a new oil refinery. From 2018 to 2022, the percentage of the population who lives in poverty from about 42 % to 36 % decreased.
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By placing inequality in his speech center, Lopez Oberrador established a committed base from supporters who were ready to overlook The shortcomings in his government. Although he reached power promised to improve corruption, insecurity and impunity, he did not achieve any of these things. His government had its king Corruption scandalsThe murder in Mexico remained high, with about 30,000 murders annually. In some respects, the exacerbation of the situation: extortion is now rampant. Nevertheless, large parts of the population felt increasingly confident in democracy. By 2023, 61 % of Mexicans They said they have faith In their national government, compared to 29 % when he took office.
But progressive progress in another place should not be very optimistic about the possibility of copying the Mourina model. While doing all the aboveand López Obrador also made appropriate moves to the right. He cut deals with major business and deviated from tax repair. It has maintained the financial austerity, which means that social spending has been funded by discounts elsewhere. he A breadth on immigrants residing in the United States For political capital in Washington, he refused to take a position Gay marriage or miscarriageIt is supposed to avoid reducing the attractiveness of Maurina. Which is The Mexico Army embracedA famous but transparent institution with a record Human rights violationsDependence on them Delivery of his program. Although Lopez Oberrador established several committees to investigate historical violations by the army, Leave them later.
Criticism came from all over the political spectrum, but Lopez Obrador dismantled it – and often hinting that it came from representatives of hunting to the corrupt elites in his novel. By the end of his government, he lost support from some Feminismand Environmental protection advocates and Violence victimsFor example, but not limited to. However, his base continued to grow. Leave the power with the approval classification of about 70 %.
Once it became clear that Mourina was at a higher stage, politicians from all lines, including some doubtful characters, sought to join. Maurina welcomed them, and the principle of mitigation with pragmatism. This shortcut came to electoral success at the expense of internal tensions. However, Maurina maintains organic activity and systems that no other party can match. She has 2.3 million Registered members, and they want to do so 10 million. Shinbum commander Party activists go out to every part of the country. (It is the article of Iman in the party that Lopez Obrador’s success was born from the visit of each of the Municipality of Mexico about 2,500 municipalities.
The party’s contact with the limits of local contexts How progressive outside Mexico can extract from the example of Maurina. Mexico is distinguished by its colonial history, and it was under the rule of one party for most of the twentieth century before it moved to democracy in the 1990s. Today, organized crime has a tremendous impact through violence and corruptionand While Mexico’s economic dependence on the United States is extreme. This sharp feeling of injustice is the political and packed political feelings.
It would be tempting to framing the political scene of Mexico as a story of the left successfully resisting the right. but Other than the amount they want to extract from Mourina should ask. Focusing on social and economic justice, control of narration and the party organization has been focused with some ugly aspects of populism, and the dependence of a reality on the right -wing sites. It is difficult to say whether the latter is necessary for Maurina’s electoral success. But there is an opposition on the Mexican left, where some, after the weight of the results, no longer the results against their values, on board.
