Mexico’s new president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador shuns guards, asking the ‘people’ for protection instead
Lopez Obrador’s every move has been broadcast live, with journalists and supporters forming a slow-moving convoy around the 64-year-old, who has pledged to shed various trappings of power
Mexican president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador left the country’s national palace on Tuesday in the front passenger seat of a white Volkswagen Jetta, swarmed by hundreds of jubilant supporters including one waving a live rooster. There was not a bodyguard in sight.
Since claiming victory on Sunday, the leftist politician has promised transformative change for Mexico. That includes ambitious plans to stem the corruption and violence that have become the status quo, though Lopez Obrador has yet to provide details.
Lopez Obrador’s approach to security is one of the first signs of how he is breaking from the mould of the typical Mexican presidency.
His plan to travel without armed guards has sparked worry in some quarters about his safety on the heels of Mexico’s deadliest year since modern records began.
“The people will protect me. … He who fights for justice has nothing to fear,” Lopez Obrador said after meeting with President Enrique Pena Nieto, who he said offered federal protection.
“You’ll all be watching out for me,” he told a large hall packed with press during a lively, 35-minute back-and-forth that sharply contrasted with Pena Nieto’s brief, tightly controlled appearances.