Mexico’s AMLO defends legacy in final state-of-the-nation speech
Al Jazeera
Mexican president says controversial judicial reform plan to elect judges would ensure that courts are ‘at the service of the people’.
Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has defended his legacy in the final state-of-the-nation address – an annual report on his government – a month before he is set to leave office and be replaced by his close ally Claudia Sheinbaum.
Speaking for two hours in Mexico City’s sprawling Zocalo Square, Lopez Obrador bade farewell to enthusiastic followers on Sunday as he seeks to advance a major overhaul of the country’s courts.
Despite the controversial push, which critics say would weaken the judiciary, the Mexican president continues to enjoy a 73 percent approval rating as his six-year term winds down.
“We are living in a true democracy, building a new homeland” and “laying the foundations to begin a new stage”, he said in the speech.
Thousands of supporters of Lopez Obrador, widely known by his initials AMLO, filled the square, which saw a party-like atmosphere.
