Presidential referendum in Mexico becomes political football

A referendum allowing Mexicans to vote midterm on whether the president should remain in office has become a strange political football involving all three branches of government

MEXICO CITY -- A referendum allowing Mexicans to vote midterm on whether the president should remain in office has become a strange political football involving all three branches of government.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced gleefully Monday that his supporters had collected 10 million signatures in favor of the referendum — several times more than is legally required — which could put his future at risk.

It’s strange because there is little apparent reason to hold the referendum and the constitution doesn't require it. López Obrador gets positive ratings from about two-thirds of those polled and would no doubt win the vote to serve out the second half of his six-year term.

But the president's political style consists of constant campaigning: He was on the campaign trail nonstop from 2005 to 2018, and enjoys it. So he is demanding a referendum, even though it will cost about $200 million and electoral authorities say they don’t have enough money.