Mexico’s Obrador vows end to secrecy
President pledges to hold a press conference every working day to keep people inform
MEXICO CITY: Mexico’s newly inaugurated president kicked off his first day in office with something not seen in recent history – a news conference and a pledge to hold one every working day of his six-year term to keep the people informed.
Two days after taking the oath as the first leftist president in decades of technocrats, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador made good on his promise to govern as a common man and end decades of secrecy, heavy security and luxury enjoyed by past presidents.
His workday began at 7am with a gathering of more than 100 reporters, photographers and TV cameramen all trained on the new leader, his grey hair slightly ruffled as he answered questions.
“Isn’t that a change that I am here, informing you?” Obrador asked.
While past presidents have rarely held news conferences, Obrador promised to do so on a near-daily basis, much as he did when he was mayor of Mexico City from 20002005.
“He didn’t hit the ground running, he hit the ground flying,” said Federico Estevez, a political science professor at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico, who was impressed by the president’s ability to improvise and speak for hours on end without using a teleprompter.
Estevez compared Lopez Obrador’s start to the early days of US President Franklin Roosevelt, minus the fireside chats.
“It’s very similar. And (Obrador) is going to build his party into a generational force, and the opposi- tion is going to remain a minority for God knows how long.”
On Monday, Obrador also tackled a case that cast a long shadow over the previous government, signing a presidential decree creating a truth commission to investigate the 2014 disappearance of 43 students in an apparent massacre.
He then posed with parents of the missing young people, who displayed photos of their loved ones.
Earlier, the new president arrived at Mexico City’s National Palace in the same white Volkswagen Jetta compact car he used before taking office. He has refused the military bodyguards used by past presidents and travels with a small staff of aides who provide security.
“I feel safe, protected and supported by the Mexican people,” Obrador said. —