López Obrador, Andrés Manuel (1953-…), became president of Mexico in 2018. He also founded the National Regeneration Movement (also known as Morena), a progressive political party, in the 2010’s. López Obrador ran unsuccessfully for president of Mexico in 2006 and 2012 before being elected to the nation’s top office. He is popularly known by his initials, AMLO.
López Obrador was born on Nov. 13, 1953, into a middle-class family in Tepetitán, a village in the southern state of Tabasco. He studied political science and public administration at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City. López Obrador took a break from his studies to work for the Tabasco state government and in the administration of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He eventually completed a degree in political and social sciences in 1987.
In 1988, López Obrador joined a new political organization formed to rival the PRI. This new coalition became the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). López Obrador led the PRD from 1996 to 1999. During that time, he became known for supporting environmental protections and the rights of lower-class Mexicans. From 2000 to 2005, López Obrador was the head of government of Mexico’s Federal District, later officially renamed Mexico City.
López Obrador was the PRD’s candidate in Mexico’s 2006 presidential election. The official election results showed that Felipe Calderón Hinojosa of the National Action Party (PAN) had defeated López Obrador by less than 1 percent of the vote. López Obrador claimed the election had been fraudulent and demanded a full recount of votes. Following a partial recount, Mexico’s top electoral court declared Calderón the winner. López Obrador refused to accept the results and declared himself the “legitimate president.”
López Obrador ran for president again in 2012. He lost the election narrowly to Enrique Peña Nieto of the PRI. López Obrador again challenged the results, calling for a nationwide recount of votes. He and members of a student group called #YoSoy132 accused the PRI of buying votes and of paying the Televisa television network to give Peña Nieto favorable coverage. Mexico’s Federal Electoral Institute carried out a partial recount of votes and confirmed Peña Nieto’s victory.
López Obrador left the PRD and founded the National Regeneration Movement (Morena) in 2012. In 2014, Morena gained official status as a political party. López Obrador led the party until late 2017, when he registered as a candidate for the 2018 presidential election. During his campaign, López Obrador pledged to address deteriorating infrastructure, economic inequality, government corruption, and violence by drug gangs. He was elected in a landslide in July 2018 and took office on December 1.
See also Institutional Revolutionary Party.
