Mexico: Neoliberalism, Popular Grievances, and the Rise of Andrés Manuel López Obrador

Andrés Manuel López Obrador, commonly referred to as AMLO, has become Mexico’s first leftist president in over seven decades. He has promised to get rid of Mexico’s problems through a peaceful but radical transformation, while placing the needs of the people first. For the past three decades, the nation’s political and economic systems have failed to create positive results. Mexico currently faces mass inequality and poverty, corruption and impunity, and insecurity and organized crime. Through his political activism and most importantly, his political narrative, AMLO has become a popular actor and is seen as the president who will implement lasting changes. This thesis interrogates the significance of the rise of AMLO by examining the conditions leading to his election as the new President of Mexico. The analysis proceeds, on the one hand, by analyzing the terms of AMLO’s political discourse, including his call to return to the roots of the Mexican Revolution, as his rejection of the old political system, and his rejection of the neoliberal economic model. On the other hand, the assessment of AMLO’s political significance requires revisiting modern Mexican history, from the Porfiriato to the present day, and contrasting them to the way in which they are portrayed in AMLO’s narrative.For example, the damaging consequences of neoliberalism on the fabric of the Mexican society and their grievances will be examined as societal conditions for political victory. By looking into Mexican history and contemporary news, this thesis will also analyze the individual and societal conditions that allowed AMLO to win the presidential election