Mexico populist would-be president thrills and terrifies

When Andrés Manuel López Obrador winds up a stump speech in the main square of a small town in the eastern state of Veracruz, the crowd surges forward. It takes him 15 minutes to pass through the commotion of backslapping, selfies and jabbing microphones to reach the car parked outside the tent where he spoke.

The point of the rally is to promote López Obrador’s party, Morena, in municipal elections to be held in Veracruz in June. But his main goal is much bigger: to win Mexico’s presidency on his third attempt, in 2018. That is a prospect that thrills some Mexicans and terrifies others.

Source: The Economist