Mexico’s Lopez Obrador gives final report

Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador presented the final report of his government, defending his legacy a month before turning power over to his successor — along with a congressional supermajority and a highly controversial judicial reform plan.

In the Zocalo, Mexico City’s sprawling central square, Lopez Obrador bade farewell to thousands of enthusiastic followers, buoyed by what polls say is a lofty 73 percent approval rating as his six-year term winds down.

“We are living in a true democracy, building a new homeland” and “laying the foundations to begin a new stage,” he said in a speech that lasted nearly two hours.

A party-like atmosphere pervaded the square, which was filled with supporters — and animated by musical groups and folk dancers — two hours before the speech began.

Some attendees ate snacks under umbrellas, seeking relief from a hot sun, as they waited for Lopez Obrador, widely known by his initials AMLO.

“I came because it is the farewell of one of the most historic presidents in the country,” Jose Luis Diaz, a 39-year-old entrepreneur, told AFP. “We won’t see another president like him for 100 years.”

Daniela Barrera, a 27-year-old who says she comes from an “Obradorist” family, said Lopez Obrador’s greatest achievement was generating hope for Mexico.

The presidential report is a tradition in Mexican politics, an annual review of governmental progress not unlike a US president’s State of the Union address.